The Cinderella Makeover Naruto Style
by CharismaHarmony
Summary: [AUModern]When Hinata’s best friend, Naruto said that she wasn’t the type of woman men fall in love with, she bet him 1000 she’d have a marriage proposal in 3 months. She turned her tomboy self into a sexy siren, the world’s most eligible bachelor moved i
1. Chapter 1

**The Cinderella Make-over – Naruto Style**

(AU-Modern) When Hinata's best friend, Naruto said that she wasn't the type of women men fall in love with, she bet him $1000 she'd have a marriage proposal in 3 months. She turned her tomboy self into a sexy siren, the world's most eligible bachelor moved in next-door… and Naruto realized he'd make a big mistake!

**Disclaimer: I'm tweaking the orignal characters' personality. No harm in doing that, because I do not have full ownership of them :(**

**Author's Note: **

Setting: Modern

Place: Some place with the $ currency

Character info: So, some characters would be sporting major OCC-ness (namely Hinata who is not THAT shy doormat anymore; she actually MOUTH's back). And Kankuro/Neji pairing:P I like the occasional odd pairing!

Age: Late 20s: between 25 - 29 (for main Naruto Characters)

And Temari, Gaara and Kankuro are Naruto's siblings.

Chapter 1

"You bet me!" She pointed a finger at him. You bet me a month's worth of car washes that I couldn't keep up with you." Just saying that made Hinata shudder as she cleared her throat to stop the rise of the acidic vomit, which threaten to go against the gradient; she regretted drinking last night since she rarely drink.

"In the name of Female honor, I had to pop that inflated ego of yours."

"Female honour? Oh, right, that's it," he said, laughing. Uzumaki Naruto then smiled mischievously at her. He looked handsome, as usual, Hinata noted in disgust. That gorgeous summer tan he kept all year long held no tinge of post-party green. His cerulean eyes weren't bloodshot, but lit with devilish humour. His golden hair and pearly smile made him look like he ought to be on the cover of a magazine. He looked as if he'd passed the previous evening curled up with a book and a glass of warm milk, when she knew perfectly well how he'd spent his night. He'd spent it making sure she'd be miserable in the morning!

"Shut up." Hinata eyed him balefully. "Or I'll throw up on your Armani suit."

"And wouldn't that go gorgeously with the décor," he quipped, glancing ino the church. "I think Temari's got every gardenia crammed in here."

Hinata stepped into the small foyer of the church and stopped dead, assaulted by the overpowering floral scent. In her hungover state, the smell almost knocked her off her feet.

"Oh, no." She started taking quick shallow breaths. "Oh, God."

"Huh? Oh, nuts. Hold on, sunny." Naruto was at her side in a flash, the teasing look replaced with serious concern. He anchored her with on strong arm. "Take it easy, you're going to be fine. They can wait a few more minutes," he assured her, his voice low and comforting.

Hyuuga Hinata was bridesmaid to Temari and Shikamaru's wedding. She sported curls and a restricting pale pink one-piece bridesmaid dress. She never liked pink.

"How does Temari look?" Hinata asked, mre to get her mind off puking.

Naruto shrugged, "Like she was caught in a lace factory that exploded. Feel any better?"

Hinata chuckled appreciatively. "Not tremendously," Hinata sighed, "but it would have to do. My only goals for today are not throwing up on anyone and avoid the killer question."

He snickered, "You mean," he said, mimicking a nasal feminine whine, " 'So, when are _you _getting married, Hinata?'"

"Exactly." Even so, Hinata tried to ignore the pang the question caused, even asked as a joke. It seemed as if she'd been facing questions like this forever.

Hinata reminded herself that was single by choice.

She then curiously noticed the small smile that haunted the corner of Naruto's lips.

When they stepped into the church, she saw ten pairs of eyes snapped toward them eagerly. All of Naruto's and her aunts homed in on her, calculating smiles on their faces.

"So I guess you won't bet me a month's worth of laundry that you can successfully avoid my and your aunts at the reception?" Naruto whispered gleefully. "Before you got here, I sort of suggested that you might be interested in their advice in the man-hunting department."

"Make it two months," Hinata said through gritted teeth, "and remind me to kill you when it's all over."

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"I'm looking for Hinata," Naruto yelled over the din of the speakers and the laughing, boisterous couples on the dance floor. "She disappeared on me right after we took pictures. Have you seen her?"

"Nope, I haven't," his brother, Gaara replied, looking at the crowd of guys near him for a response. They all shook their heads. "If you see her, though, tell her we're having a poker match tonight at Kiba's."

Naruto nodded. "If anything that would get hr out of hiding, it's a good game of poker. Thanks."

He continued his slow tour of the large ballroom. He was so intent on tweaking Hinata out of her gloom and giving her something to do at this reception other than focus on the "killer question", that he'd forgotten he was the target of the same question himself… not from his aunts. He'd been cicling the reception hall for more than two hours, looking for Hinata, while trying to avoid being singled out.

Emphasis on "single".

Ordinarily, he wouldn't mind a room filled to the roofs with pretty single women. But this was a wedding, and that changed the rules. Suddenly, asking a woman to dance was tantamount to handing her a wedding ring. It is a dedicated bachelor's nightmare, Naruto reflected.

If he had Hinata by his side, at least he'd a better chance at fending off the hungry stares and blatant invitations. It figured that the girl he was searching for was the one girl in this whole sea of single women who wasn't looking for matrimony in general, or him in particular!

He sighed. She might say that she was ready to kill him, but that wasn't what was keeping hr hidden. He sensed that threre was more to Hinata's avoidance than just being frustrated with his family's gentle pressuring, or their inability to accept her tomboy ways. If she avoided him for this long, she wasn't angry, she was upset. And he was going to find out why if he had to drag it out of her… or bet it out of her.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and tensed.

"There you are, bro'."

Naruto turned, grinning in relief. "Hey, Shika. So, how does it feel being married to my sister?"

Shikamaru smiled, his brown eyes lighting up like candles. "I've never been happier in my life."

"So, you say now," Naruto joked, giving his new brother-in-law a friendly punch on the arm.

"Trust me," Shikamaru said, "when you find the right girl, there is nothing in the world that feels more perfect. Nothing at all."

"I'll take your word for it." Naruto shifted uncomfortably. "Weddings seem to cause some weird chemical changes in women. If I asked any one of these single women here if they'd run off to Vegas to get married tonight, I think they'd do it in a heartbeat." He gazed around the room, shaking his head. "And they don't even know me!"

"Was that Hinata?" Shikamaru craned his neck to squint at Hinata's disappearing form.

"The hangover didn't help," Naruto added, trying in vain to track her. "I dragged her to the bachelor party last night and bet her she couldn't drink as much as I could."

Shikamaru scowled. "You brought a woman to my bachelor party?"

"No, I brought Hinata. There's a difference." When Shikamaru didn't look mollified, Naruto shrugged. "I kept her off in the corner, Shika. Besdies, she's been one of the gang for years, and we didn't do anything even remotely shocking."

"It's the principle of the thing, Naruto. You know, No Girl's Allowed?" Shikamaru shook his head, finally laughing a little. "And Hinata's not a bad-looking girl, either, when she gives it a shot. I can only imagine what she looks like when she's not green. Of course, it might help if she didn't look like she was plotting your murder, either."

**ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

oOOOOOOoooooooo... Did'ja like it?

Sunny - Hinata's name meant sunny anyway


	2. Chp 2: Just A Glass of Milk

**Chapter 2: Just A Glass of Milk**

**Author's Note: **Thanks everyone for reviewing! Love you guys! Since it's only 9 reviews and only after 3 days, I'll put your names up: Rynx- Too- Genki, yumi'd'izka, switchblade-boarder, crazednarutogirl, AuroraStarPhoenix, loujane14, Shy-Princess, Elsie-neechan and Mystical-Dreamer57. Wonderful people they are!

**One note**: Hinata is damn confident in this ficlet, so watch out!

**Tiny Recap from last chapter:**

"And Hinata's not a bad-looking girl, either, when she gives it a shot. I can only imagine what she looks like when she's not green. Of course, it might help if she didn't look like she was plotting your murder, either."

**ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Naruto laughed, "She'll get over it. It might take a while, but she always does. And she – "

"Hi, Naruto."

The two men turned to see a lush-lipped redhead, staring at Naruto with deep green eyes. Her voice was husky, but slightly overdone.

"I've been watching you run around all night, Naruto. You're missing a great party. Want to dance?"

Naruto sighed. "Sorry, I'm looking for someone right now. Maybe later." Like in twenty years.

"You sure?" she drawled, making a seductive little shimmy that did nice things to her dress. "Whoever you're looking for could probably wait a while."

Naruto sighed even harder. _Hinata, where the heck are you?_ "Really, I'm sorry."

The woman pouted, "Suit yourself."

"What's the matter with you, Naruto? I'm surprised you turned down her offer," Shikamaru was a little thrown off.

"She had 'husband-hunter' written all over her, and I don't play that anymore." Naruto shuddered. "No, thanks."

It was Shikamaru's turn to sigh. "It's only one dance. You could find Hinata later…"

"Let me explain something," Naruto said seriously. "When I was younger, I had a few serious relationships. One even came close to marriage. All of them ended like train wrecks."

"Ouch."

"My friends were the only thing that got me through them," Naruto said seriously. "That's when I figured out that I don't do commitments anymore. Why should I? I party with the guys whenever I want, I have a job most men would kill for, and I have a best friend who knows me inside out, who's there for me 24/7. Women come and go…"

"With a rather high turnover rate, in your case," Shikamaru interjected.

"But friends are forever," Naruto smiled smugly. "If I just stick to that, I have literally the perfect life."

Shikamaru laughed. "I've got to admit, it sounds attractive. But there's just one problem."

"At the moment, it's Hinata," Naruto conceded. "But she never stays mad at me for long. She'll feel better as she gets even."

"The problem is," Shikamaru continued, "you're going to fall in love one of these days. And that's going to throw your perfect life out of orbit."

"Never happen." Naruto winked. He'd caught sight of Hinata, speaking with some young women over by the side of the dance floor. "I've got it all under control."

Before he could make a move towards Hinata, the women swarmed over to where he and Shikamaru were standing.

"Oh, I think it's wonderful," one of the women gushed.

He blinked at her, "What is?"

"That you so desperately want to adopt a young child that you're going to ask someone to marry you tonight!"

Surrounded by beaming hopeful faces, he looked over to see Hinata grinning back at him from ear to ear.

"Yup," Shikamaru said, patting him on the shoulder. "Obviously, you have everything under control."

**ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Hinata would've been enjoying her revenge immensely were it not for Naruto's sister, Temari and brother, Kankuro that finally cornered her. Reluctantly, she went up to the hotel room the Uzumakis have rented, flanked by them, as if she was a prisoner. While she had managed to avoid the aunts, these two could not be dodged.

They went into the room and Hinata spotted her cousin brother, Neji picking loose strands of hair that were sticking to his sweaty face in front of a mirror; he had his hair in a ponytail. When the door shut, he looked up.

Hinata could've sworn his eyes glazed over her and smirked in approval. "You really should maintain that look, cousin sister."

Temari 'mmhmm' and Kankuro nodded vigorously.

"You need this book, Hinata." Temari shuffled around the sofa and produced a copy of _The Guide: How To Go From Miss Wrong to Mrs. Right in One Year _in thin air.

Hinata's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "No. No way!" She raced for the door, but Kankuro was blocking it. He kneeled and threw her over his right shoulder, bringing her to the living room. Kankuro passed Neji and couldn't help but smack him in the butt.

"Oooh!" Neji jumped a little whilst Kankuro chuckled.

Neji pouted. "Be careful in the bedroom, baby. I'm going to tackle you down!"

"Oh, yeah?" Kankuro flicked his dirty-blond hair, giving Neji a once-over. "I want to see you try."

Neji swallowed as his eyes followed down to Kankuro's bottom, accentuated by the low-riding pants. _That powerful stride and strength_, Neji licked his lips unconsciously as he noted Kankuro flipped Hinata over, carrying her in bridal style for a moment before gently connecting her bottom on the sofa cushions.

"You two should get a room. The sexual energy is so high in here between you two," Temari chortled, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "Hold Hinata down for me, will you, dear brother? I'm trying to get into Shikamaru's surprise gift." Temari picked up a little white lace nothing.

"No problem," Kankuro said, his eyes never leaving Hinata's.

Hinata sighed. There was no escape.

Neji came and sat right beside Hinata. Temari had left the magazine on the arm of the sofa and so, he took it and pushed it into Hinata's hands.

She groaned. "You have _got _to be kidding me."

"It worked for me," Neji replied, tugging at her lumpy curls. "And it worked for Temari. You can't argue with success. Temari's practically glowing. Don't you want to be as happy as she is?"

Hinata grumbled, eyeing the cushions and formulating a plan in her mind. "Why is it when your friends get married, they suddenly expects you to?" She asked absent-mindedly.

"You're 28, Hinata," Neji said firmly.

"Hear that ticking?" Temari emerged fully clothed with her traveling coat on top.

"That's your biological clock," Kankuro said without missing a beat.

"Well," Hinata waved her hands, "I'm hitting the snooze button."

"Denial!" Neji announced, grabbing Hinata's chin and angling her face until they were eye to eye. "Ever since you've graduated from college, you've been burying yourself in that design firm and hanging out with those grubby guys…"

"They're not grubby!" Hinata interrupted.

"What your darling cousin is suggesting the same thing I have in mind," Kankuro said calmly.

"Right. I don't know how many sets of grubby sweatshirts that I've seen you go through. And heaven forbid! Those baggy pants!" Temari issued.

Hinata put her hands up. "Hello! Do you guys have ESP or something?" Although annoyed, Hinata took a long glance at the book.

_Miss Wrong…_

As much as she touted that she was "single by choice", the truth stared in her face whenever she looked at her friends. Hinata always felt like a dull brown when standing next to exotic birds. She was just a glass of milk.

Even so, she did not want their pity.

"I don't see what the big deal is," Hinata finally answered. "I know I have only one serious relationship, but it was really a convincing experience. Now, I'm enjoying my life. I've got a great job that pays well and wonderful friends. Please, couldn't you just let it go?"

Before Neji or Temari or Kankuro coud respond, Naruto popped his head through the doorway. "Hey! The car's revving upand so's the bridegroom," he yelled, "Where's Temari?" Temari quickly dived into the bathroom.

"Getting her traveling suit on," Neji answered, obviously irritated with the interruption.

"Good grief," Naruto said, walking in and rolling his eyes. "What is it about women that takes them so long to get dressed? It's never taken me that long to get clothes _off_ a woman."

"And Lord knows you've had practice," Hinata muttered, clambering off the sofa with one cushion in hand. For defense.

"You and I need to have a little talk," Naruto said, his eyes glinted with dark promise.

Hinata grinned. "We can discuss it when you do my laundry for 2 months, O Unlucky One."

"Naruto! You're not helping!" Kankuro bellowed, glaring at him. _I'm glad he's a manly gay, not like sissy type, _Naruto thanked God in his head.

It's a little strange when you have a gay brother. Your perceptions could change drastically. Even so, Naruto was never ashamed of Kankuro's sexual orientation. He might be a little embarrassed to say out right that 'My brother's gay', but he gets extremely offended when mean jokes were made towards Kankuro.

"What do you mean I'm not hel-" His sentence hung in he air. Naruto's eyes fell upon the magazine Hinata had been holding. So it seems, that Hinata had been unconsciously taking _The Guide_ with her.

"Oo-ho!" Naruto tugged at _The Guide._ However, Hinata held on fast.

"Oh, NO YOU DON'T!"

"Let…me…see," Naruto said, tugging stubbornly.

"LET GO!" Hinata cried.

"I'm ready," Temari sang, opening the bathroom door, only to gasp in horror as she caught sight of her brother and bridesmaid tussling. Temari looked at Neji's shaking head. "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"

Taking advantage of Naruto's momentary distraction, Hinata made one last yank of the magazine. She managed to tug it away from him, but overbalanced.

With muscular grace, Naruto reached back and scooped Hinata upright. Then, he promptly snatched the magazine out of her hands.

"You dirty…"

"_The Guide._ Oh, good grief. Be dramatic, but be demure. You're a woman. _Be_ a woman," Naruto recited in a mocking tone. "What else would you want to be? A poodle?" He guffawed at his own joke, ignoring the foursome glaring at him venomously.

"Oh," Hinata huffed, "Give me that." She took full possession of the magazine.

"You don't want to be Mrs. Right in one year, anyway," Naruto said with certainty. He then narrowed his eyes, "Do you?"

_Yes, _a tiny voice inside her whispered. In one year or a decade, she wanted to be right for someone. She wanted to find someone right for her.

"Of course not," Hinata replied, disguising her true answer.

"Don't you dare patronize her Naruto!" Neji said in a protective tone. "Hinata might not think it's what she wants, but she hasn't had enough experience to say definitively. Besides, she's got a lot going for her if she tries –"

"Given a little time and a little effort-" Kankuro continued enthusiastically.

"She'd have a gorgeous suitor at her feet in 3 months!" Temari added.

Hinata felt a burst of panic.

Naruto shook his head, throwing a casual arm around Hinata's shoulders. "Why push her? Hinata's my best friend and I know her better than anyone. You can't tell me that she's going to read one stupid magazine devoted on making women look like Barbie and then suddenly turn into a _wife_!"

Hinata was about to protest, but Naruto carried on confidently, "She's not even from the same planet as those women from _The Guide. _I mean, the women who use that as a game plan go at it like pros. They've got the looks, the moves, the whole nine yards. They turn men into putty." Naruto grinned at Hinata. "We both know you're not like them, Sunny."

His two siblings and Neji stared at him, dumbfounded by his little backhand compliment. Neji looked anxiously at Hinata.

She was shaking.

"Oh, yeah?" Hinata pushed his arm off her. "Try me. I bet you $50 that I can get Mr. Right in 3 months!"

"No, thanks," Naruto said, chuckling. "If we're going to bet, I'd like at least a minor challenge."

Hinata's blood began to boil. She privately didn't think she was some skilled seductress, granted. Hearing him announce so easily that he _knew _she wasn't one was something else entirely.

"Two hundred dollars," Hinata said, her pride pushing her.

"Seriously?" Naruto smirked. "You're getting way over your head."

Now, her head was pounding. She wanted to smack that smug grin off his face.

"Five hundred dollars."

Finally, some of his amusement slipped. Naruto was no longer smiling. In fact his face looked grim. "This is ridiculous. I'm not going to listen to one more – "

"**_One thousand dollars."_**

Neji was staring at her speechless. Kankuro and Temari's mouth had fallen open.

"One thousand dollars says you don't think I can do it," Hinata repeated, staring at Naruto's face.

He paused, then looked at her shrewdly. "Only if you make it one month."

He waited for her to back down.

She didn't waver. "Deal."

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

**Things are getting exciting! oOOO!**


	3. Chp 3: There’s A Sight You Don’t See Eve

**Chapter 3: There's A Sight You Don't See Everyday**

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the late update. I was meaning to update every 3 days, but performance practices and homework got in the way. So, I'm staying home today instead of going to school to finish this chapter. :P JK. (This chapter is longer than usual) Anywayz, a big **hugs **to all reviewers out there! Especially to

Kichou,

switchblade-boarder,

Shy-Princess,

kagome7inuyasha75,

Mystical-Dreamer57,

Kagome5177,

loujane14,

Neko-Youkai

* * *

**Tiny Recap from last chapter:**

Finally, some of his amusement slipped. Naruto was no longer smiling. In fact his face looked grim. "This is ridiculous. I'm not going to listen to one more – "

"**_One thousand dollars."_**

Neji was staring at her speechless. Kankuro and Temari's mouth had fallen open.

"One thousand dollars says you don't think I can do it," Hinata repeated, staring at Naruto's face.

He paused, then looked at her shrewdly. "Only if you make it one month."

He waited for her to back down.

She didn't waver. "Deal."

* * *

With a swift motion, Hinata grabbed his hand in a hard shake. 

Naruto stared down at her for a moment longer, and then shook his head. "Fine. I'm going downstairs and tell the men you're taking your time," he said to Temari. "I'm sure you're going to want to stay a few more minutes to work on a game plan. That is, before Hinata drops a grand in a month."

Giving Hinata one last smug wink, he strode out the door.

"Oh, my God," Temari breathed. "I can't believe you did that!"

"What is done is done," Kankuro said, nodding in approval. Then, suddenly, he panicked. "We've only got a month! A shopping trip, first thing. No, wait –"

"My hairdresser!" Neji cried.

"And maybe a facial…" Kankuro added.

"Facial, nothing," Temari interrupted. "Full day of spa treament." Temari dived for her purse, producing a business card. "I'll be back from Hawaii in exactly 2 weeks. You guys take care of clothes and makeup. I'll work out a strategy."

Temari hugged everyone in the room before taking flight down to meet her husband, her eyes glinted in dark promise of helping Hinata and a long night full of raw passion.

Down below, Gaara asked Temari why does she have that 'secret' smile on her face.

"Ooooh! Gaara, you wouldn't believe what happened…"

* * *

"One thousand dollars," Neji said, glancing at Hinata with a curious gleam of pride. "Unbelievable." 

Hinata gritted her teeth. "I've never lost a bet with Naruto without a fight. Now, shush," she ordered, a vice-like grip on the glossy magazine. "I'm trying to read here!"

* * *

Eight o'clock the next morning, the persistent sound of her doorbell jarred Hinata from a restless sleep. She stumbled out of bed, muttering and rubbing at her sleepy-sandy eyes. "If it's Naruto, you might as well know that I decided to forfeit," she called. "I must have been insane. Would you just leave me to wallow in my singleness in peace?" 

"Not a chance," a muffled male voice countered. "It's Neji and Kankuro. Open up."

Hinata groaned. Even worse. She unlatched the chain and cautiously pulled the door open.

Neji looked dashingly pretty with his loose locks, sharpening at the end. With a dash of makeup and tight slacks, Hinata noticed how feminine Neji looked even as a cross-dresser for today.

Kankuro grunted at Hinata's stares. He had a hand low on Neji's waist. Rubbing gently, he said remorsefully, "Unfortunately, Neji's not ready for a skirt just yet."

Hinata quirked an eyebrow at Kankuro's comment; Neji didn't seem to notice.

"Well?" Neji looked fat too enthusiastic about being up early on a Sunday morning. "Today is the first day of the new you, Hinata Hyuuga. Are you ready?"

"What are you? Captain of the matrimonial cheerleading squad?" Hinata shuffled over to the kitchen and yawned. "Besides, I'm not goin through this. I did a lot of thinking, and I'm going to get Naruto to drop the whole thing. I don't need to prove anything…"

"Oh no, you don't," Neji countered, frowning at Hinata as she unslung a fair-size bag from her shoulder. He started piling small jars, bottles and tubes on the kitchen table. "On any other bet, I'd probably be trying to stop you myself – you two manage to come up with some fairly idiotic ones – but this time, I'm all for it. Right, honey?" Neji asked Kankuro for support.

Without turning away from his task of scrambling eggs, Kankuro slipped the sturdy apron strings into a ribbon behind his back and said, "Of course. Even Gaara promised to help."

"He did?" Neji's eyes watered. "See, everyone wants you to win the bet. Even Hanabi agreed to help out."

Hinata narrowed her eyes. "Father does not know of this, right?"

"Fehh! No, he doesn't. He doesn't even care if you look downright dumpy."

_That's exactly the point._

Neji continued, "I've waited ten years for you to do something with those buried gorgeous looks of yours. There is no chance in heck I'm letting you off that easily."

Hinata groaned and draped herself onto a chair, striking a very dramatic damsel-in-distress pose. However, when she saw the bottles, jars and tubes starting to form a mini-hill on the counter, she started to eye the supplies warily. "What's all this for?"

Neji gave her a wide smile, "This is step one."

"Step one?" Hinata picked up one of the bottles. The label was in Swedish and most of the ingredients had twenty syllabus. "How many step are there?"

The egg popped. "That depends how cooperative you are," Kankuro smirked at her.

Neji proceeded to get a box of oatmeal out of the pantry, then mixed some water in a bowl.

Hinata looked horrified and said, "I…uh… wasn't planning on eating breakfast." She almost gagged at the sight of oatmeal and water, but the aroma of scrambled eggs pushed the growl in her stomach to a discernible sound. Hinata groused, pouring herself some cold milk from the fridge.

"This isn't for your insides. This is for your outsides."

Hinata gulped down a glass of milk as she saw Neji grabbed one of the bottles and added some green liquid to the bowl, then studied the resulting mixture. "It's also going to get a little messy. Here, stir this."

Hinata stirred, then gaped as Neji produced a clear plastic tarp from her bag and laid it out on the living room floor. Before Hinata could ask, Kankuro announced, "Breakfast is ready, ladies."

Neji took Hinata's hand and sat her down. "Breakfast is the king of meals. Let's eat."

Hinata blinked. Kankuro sighed at the overwhelmed Hinata, "Really, try at this. Give it your best shot."

Hinata dug into her breakfast.

"I don't think Kankuro was talking about his skills." Neji sighed with obvious frustration. "You've tolerated us, you've humoured us, but you're stubbornly convinced that you're not pretty and that you're not going to find a man who will fall in love with you. You're just hiding behind that 'just one of the guys' façade – "

"Wait a minute, I'm not hiding, Neji. I … okay, _maybe_ I could be a little braver in the social arena. But frankly, I'm happy with my life as it is. I don't _need _a date. I don't _need _to change my appearance. Why can't people be happy with the way I am?"

Neji sighed again. "Someday, a man is going to love you just for who you are, honey. I promise that. But if you're so happy with your life, why where you so sad at Temari's wedding?" His eyes bore into Hinata like a psychic's. "And don't tell me it was your hangover."

"We'd leave you alone if we knew you were really happy," Kankuro said, giving her a quick. Hard hug. "But we're not letting you just settle for a life of mediocrity without a fight. If you'd let that outer beauty catch up with your iner beauty, I knew you'd find the right person for you. I just know it."

"Beauty? Me?" Hinata's voice cracked.

Neji sighed yet again. "First, we'll work on the body." He lifted the bowl in front of Hinata and then grabbed a handful of oatmeal mixture.

Hinata looked at the lump of oatmeal disgustingly, but was silenced as Neji mercilessly glopped the thick, pasty stuff on her face. She hut her eyes and faced the inevitable.

"Sit still. This is just the beginning. I've got a hair appointment for you at twelve, and get ready for a full afternoon of shopping. Gaara will be coming. He's delighted to give feedback from a guy's point of view…"

Neji continued to burble on happily as he out-lined her grand scheme for Hinata's transformation; Kankuro tinkered with dishes and cutlery.

There was no way she could turn down their help. This were her three (plus Temari) oldest friends, never mind that Neji was her cousinbrother. They were friends who had made room for her at holidays, friends who had clapped and cheered at the college graduation her mother had missed, dying two years earlier of cancer. She loved them enough to put up with their pushing, prodding and relentless mothering. She'd die for them if they asked.

"Hinata, have you heard a word I've said?"

Hinata jolted out of her thoughts. "What?"

Kankuro chuckled. "Neji's been outlining your beauty agenda. I'm sure this is overwhelming to you right now, but I know you. You're going to work harder at this than at anything in your life."

"What in the world gave you that impression?" Hinata asked, puzzled.

"That bet," Kankuro said.

Neji gurgled happily, "Yes! When you shook hands, I could've kissed him!"

Hinata and Kankuro narrowed their eyes for different reasons.

"Yo-hoo! What's this I'm hearing of kissing?" Naruto's voice called from the front door.

Neji let out a startled little yip. Hinata, on the other hand, made a break for the bathroom, but slipped. She sprawled on the floor, facedown and bottom up.

"Well, well," Naruto drawled, grating on every single one of Hinata's nerves. "There's a sight you don't see every day."

"And thank God for that," Hinata muttered, getting up slowly. "Don't you knock? And what are you doing here so early in the morning, anyway?"

"In all the years I've known you, I've never knocked if your door is open," he said, shrugging. "You seem particularly grumpy this morning. Could it be because our good friend Neji here and my brother got you up early, or because they spackled your face?"

All three glared at him, and he laughed. "Sorry, I guess it's a girl thing."

"It's more like a bet thing," Neji snapped.

"Bet?" Naurto pretended to mull over. "I seem to remember something about that. One grand, one month, and from the looks of it, a whole lot of oatmeal." Naruto winked at Hinata. "Think you'll be able to wash all that off by Thursday? We've got one serious poker night going on at my house, and I don't want you covering your famous poker face with that goop. You'll scare the guys."

"Oh no you don't," Neji cut in, frowning at Naruto before turning back to Hinata. "From ehre and out, Thursdays through Sundays are designated date nights. You're booked."

Hinata took a deep breath. "Okay, coach."

The teasing look washed off Naruto's face. "Okay?" His blue eyes widened. "Just like that? You'd ditch poker night to wait for… for some _guy?_"

"No," Hinata corrected him sweetly. "I'm ditching poker night to _go out _with some guy."

Naruto scowled. "You can't be serious about this. Besides, you don't really want to find Mr. Right. You wouldn't know what to do with him if you found him. You're not like those _Guide _women at all." His voice rang with certainty. "Think about it. You, trying to snare some unsuspecting man and drag him home by hair?"

"Actually, I was planning on just wearing something see-through at my front door and luring the in," Hinata snapped back, irritated by his amusement.

Naruto growled, then took a deep breath, apparently deciding to try a different approach. "There's nothing wrong with the way you are, and you shouldn't let them try to change you," he said, his voice more serious. "I thought you liked your life the way it was. What's so wrong about hanging out with us guys, anyway? We never hassle you about changing. We don't _care what _you look like!"

Translation: she could be the ugliest mud-beast to walk the face of the earth, but she'd always be their "Sunny".

"So, you dress grubby…" he continued. Neji was going to interrupt, but Kankuro whispered something in his ear and wrapped his strong arms around his waist. They left the room.

"Before that foot becomes permanently lodged in your throat, stop trying to convince me. My mind's made up. _I'm going through with this bet._"

This was not the way to convince him to help her, she realized. But the way he was acting, she didn't _want _his help. He wasn't pitying her exactly, but he was… excusing her, somehow. He deserved a little payback: he'd definitely think twice before he used the term _grubby _again!

"I may not look much now, Naurto," Hinata said, with anger-induced bravado, "but I swear I'm going to look like the goddess of love when you're signing that check."

"Better watch that mud-pack, Venus," he countered, leaning closer to her, a wicked grin on his face. "I hate to tell you, but you've got a terra-cotta coating your neck. And there's a cozy scoop of oatmeal between your…"

He started laughing too hard to speak, cutting off his sentence, raising a finger to point.

Hinata saw red. Snatching up one of the pillows from her overstuffed couch, she side-armed it at him, catching him straight in his chuckling mouth. He grabbed the plastic bowl as a shield as she pelted him with the rest of her ammunition.

Still steaming, she glanced around for something else to throw. Then she noticed the unholy gleam in Naruto's eyes as he put the bowl full of oatmeal down.

She felt a brief pang of panic as she realized his intentions. "Naru…" she protested, holding a hand up. "Now, let's not be hasty here. I'm your best friend…"

He picked up an armful of pillows and grinned.

"Na-a-a-ru!" She gave one last, desperate cry as he began to bombard her. He was blocking off the entrance to both her room and the bathroom, and his aim was wickedly on target. With a scream, she bolted toward her front hallway, with Naruto in full pursuit.

Trapped, she threw open her front door and ran out, his deep, rolling laughter dogging her every step. She made a dash for the side of the house. She hoped the garden hose was out so she could give him a nice cold blast, when instead she ran smack into a broad muscular chest.

* * *

**Who could it be!** **Squeaks**


	4. Chp 4: Bachelor Next Door!

**Chapter 4: Bachelor Next Door!**

**Author's Note: **

Thank you all for reviewing! I've been so preoccupied of this story and D.N.Angel (thinking of writing a fanfic since I'm partially obsessed with Daisuke/Riku/Dark)

Special honours to:

H.L.F.K.S.K.T Kaoru, loujane14, I like angst, drop-below.rise-above, Neko-Youkai, Arch Ducky, Tarnee, Kagome5177, Elsie-neechan, Mystical-Dreamer57, Kichou, kagome7inuyasha75, AND Shy-Princess.

**Tiny recap: **

Trapped, she threw open her front door and ran out, his deep, rolling laughter dogging her every step. She made a dash for the side of the house. She hoped the garden hose was out so she could give him a nice cold blast, when instead she ran smack into a broad muscular chest.

* * *

"Oof," she uttered, landing on soft grass of the side yard with a thump.

"Oops! Sorry," a deep male voice intoned, with an undercurrent of amusement. "Are you alright?"

Hinata looked up. A gorgeous male specimen of jet-black hair was staring down at her. His bare, chiseled chest emerged from what looked like a low-slung pair of Dockers. She gaped, horrified.

"Are you all right, miss?" Gorgeous Guy repeated, looking less amused now and more worried. He also looked vaguely familiar.

She shook off the thought.

"I didn't mean to knock you over," he apologized. He offered her a hand to tug her up.

She stared at it. Of all days for this sort of thing to happen to her, why _today_, when she looked like this?

Naruto suddenly emerged, pillows in each hand, yelling like a Comanche. He stopped, mid war cry, as he noticed a new participant and saw Hinata on the ground.

"What happened?" Naruto asked, quickly dropping the pillows and falling to his knees by Hinata's side. "Sunny, are you all right?"

She grimaced at him. Did she _look _all right?

Gorgeous Guy cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. I … she was running around the house, and I didn't know she was coming, and we bumped into each other. I think maybe she got the wind knocked out of her."

Hinata groaned and pushed herself up to her feet, glad that at least the oatmeal covered her blush. "No, I'm fine," she murmured. _Of course I'm fine. Gorgeous Guy moves in next door to me, and I run at him like a stamping wild beast. _"I guess I should have been more careful of where I was going, but I didn't know anyone lived here."

Gorgeous Guy smiled, dimples pitting his cheeks. "No problem. I just moved in. My brother owns this place, but he's subletting it to me for a while. I've always liked Manhattan Beach. It's fun." He winked at her, a gesture that reminded her of Naruto. "Always something crazy going on."

"This isn't what you think," she protested weakly.

Naruto was obviously enjoying the predicament she'd landed in. "What, exactly, do you think this was?"

"You…" she began, only to be stopped by Gorgeous Guy's laugh.

"Do you two live next door, then?" Gorgeous Guy glanced curiously at her house.

"I live there," Hinata answered, giving Naruto a quick glare. "This comedian over here doesn't. He just stopped by to make my life miserable."

"Oh," Gorgeous Guy said slowly, looking back at her. "I thought you two were married."

"Us?" Hinata's eyebrow jumped up, causing cracking oatmeal to sprinkle her eyes. She blinked hard.

"Not just no, but _hell _no," Naruto said. "Marriage is miserable enough by itself. Why would I compound it by marrying her?"

This time, she aimed a kick at him. He dodged it, still grinning.

"Oh," Gorgeous Guy said, smiling broadly. He offered his hand to her. "Then let's get introduced. I'm Uchiha Sasuke."

"_Uchiha Sasuke? Society's _magazine's Most Eligible Bachelor in America?" She laughed giddily. "Sure you are. And I'm Glinda, the Good Witch of the North."

He laughed, a deep, rough laugh that appealed. When he smiled, he _did _sort of resemble Uchiha Sasuke, Hinata noted.

"Well, Glinda, you can just call me Sasuke."

"Hi, Sasuke," Naruto said, stepping slightly in front of Hinata and putting his hand out. Sasuke had to release Hinata's hand to shake Naruto's. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

"I'm Hyuuga Hinata," Hinata added, nudging Naruto a little. He didn't budge.

"Hi, Hinata," Sasuke said, smiling. He added a nod to Naruto. Hinata smirked when Naruto finally moved aside a little.

Naruto smiled back at her, too smugly for her peace of mind. His gaze shifted downward a little, and his smile widened, amusement dancing in his eyes. She tried to track his line of vision.

What's so funny?

Abruptly, she remembered the comment that had started all of this. She had oatmeal between hr _what_?

"Well, welcome to the neighbourhood, Sasuke," she said quickly. Hoping that she wasn't nestling cereal between her breasts. Hinata smiled sheepishly and added, "I've got to slip into something less, er, edible."

Sasuke smiled back, this time with a hint of heat. "Oh, don't bother on my account."

She paused for a moment.

That sounded like a come-on.

Shaking her head, Hinata laughed, waved and walked back up towards her house. Of course it wasn't a come-on. Gorgeous Guy hitting on oatmeal mud girl?

Naruto trailed behind her, pillows in hand, but with no obvious intentions of throwing them, thankfully. They walked into the house together. Neji waited for them in the living room, a horrified expression on his face.

"I can't believe you just did that," Neji said, his fingers tugging at the ends of his brown hair. He'd obviously been spying from the bedroom window. Apparently, Kankuro and Neji had decided the scene below was much more enticing than their making out session.

"Where's Kankuro?" Hinata asked.

"In the shower," Neji replied absent-mindedly.

"What's he doing in there?"

"What else? Showering, of course!" Naruto snapped.

"I didn't ask you!" Hinata fired a comment back.

"So, who's Gorgeous?" Neji asked, his steely gaze fixed on Hinata. Before Hinata could answer, Naruto said sourly, "He's Uchiha Sasuke."

Neji's eyes bugged. "No way."

"Way." Naruto plunked down on the couch. "And he was hitting on Hinata."

"No _way_!" Neji threw a quick hug around Hinata's shoulders and danced with her acapella. Although there would be a stain later on his white blouse, Neji didn't care at the moment. His cousin sister was finally blossoming.

Wait a minute…

"He hit on you? Looking like, um, that?"

"Coated in oatmeal and mud, you mean?" Hinata gave an exasperated sigh. "He couldn't take his eyes off me. I'm literally like no other woman he's ever seen before… or even hopes to see again, I'm sure." She released Neji's hold on her. "Naruto's just pulling your leg, Neji. Uchiha Sasuke wouldn't be interested in me in a million years, and besides, I'm not even convinced that Gorgeous Guy really _was _Uchiha Sasuke. Either way, that guy was not coming on to me!"

"Gorgeous Guy?" Naruto repeated, frowning.

"What do you mean, he wasn't Uchiha Sasuke?" Neji persisted.

"He wasn't that good-looking," Naruto interrupted, standing up. "Are you interested in him or something? Because I think he's a little out of your league, Sunny. I mean, I know you're taking this bet seriously and all, but you don't want to rush into anything."

"Right. That does it." Hinata literally shoved Naruto out her doorway and turned back to tell Neji. "I'll see you later at the hairdresser's. But before you go, could you please take Kankuro with you?"

* * *

By Thursday, Naruto was sick of being put off for Hinata's "makeover agend". She wouldn't see him, carely even had time to talk to him. Now he had only one goal: getting her to give up this stupid bet, for her own good.

He pulled his sleek black Mustang convertible into the parking lot of Daimyou Design, jetting into the nearest parking space. "I'm such an idiot," he muttered under his breath, retrieving the bonquet of white roses he'd gotten for her.

Hinata was a sucker for flowers. Two dozen red roses had saved his butt when he'd accidentally cracked her car's back window last year with a practical joke, he remembered with a smile.

Somehow, he doubted he'd get off the hook that easily this time. Once he and Hinata shook hands on a bet, she was like a ton of cement: hard, completely set and impossible to budge.

What if she did meet some guy, like the jerk she'd dated in design school? The guy had turned into a psychotic Pygmalion, trying to turn Hinata in as his final project. Naruto had graduated himself and was looking forward to spending more time with Hinata…they hadn't been close when he was in high school, but when he moved away to college on the East Coast, he realized he missed the tomboy brat who lived around the corner. But instead, she'd spent all of her time with her boyfriend until the jerk dumped her, and she'd wept on Naruto's shoulder and told him he story she couldn't tell Neji, Kankuro, Temari and Hanabi: how the guy had been trying to change her, how he'd said he'd given up because "the project was only as good as the materials… and you're not good enough."

She then made Naruto promise not to kill the guy, a promise Naruto still regretted.

If Hinata went all out on this crazy bet, who knew what sort of lunatic she'd hook up with, just to show him she could.

_And if she got married, where would that put me in her life?_

"Say" came a familiar female voice from the front door. "Are you going to come in , or are you going to loiter for the rest of the afternoon by our front door?"

"Huh?" Naruto was startled out of his thoughts. "What?"

Hanabi, the receptionist at Daimyou Design, smiled at him as she held the door open. "Those flowers for me, handsome?"

He smiled back. "No, they're a peace offering for Hinata. Is she in?"

"She sure is." Hanabi had a broad smile on her face. "Couldn't get away from my sister, eh?"

Decided not to answer, Naruto hurried down the hallway to a door. Taking a deep breath, he courageously slapped on a big smile before throwing the door open and entering, flowers first.

He froze.

Hinata barely glanced up, smiling tiredly. "Hey there. Come on in. I just need to finish up this sketch… this client is a nightmare. I've been working like a demon all morning."

He felt like somebody had punched him in the stomach. "Um, sure," Naruto said slowly, wishing he could stop staring. "You look… good." Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't this. She looked strange, all right. Strangely alluring, strangely striking. Strangely beautiful.

Her straggly long hair had been cut to her shoulders, falling in graceful waves. Something else was differently about it, he noted. It was darker, more dark blueberries or beryl, maybe. She wore it pushed back a little, showing off that swan neck of hers. It suited those high cheekbones nicely.

Naruto blinked. When the hell did he notice she had high cheekbones?

Her beautiful lavender eyes were huge, glowing with life. "Naruto? Hello-o-o, Naru!" Her smile was shy and self-conscious. "That bad, huh?"

It was the smile that snapped him out of it. No matter what she looked like, that smile was pure Hinata… that little softness that took the sting out of her sharpest, hippiest remark. "Nah," he said, regaining his equilibrium. "I was just mentally balancing my checkbook to see if I could clear a grand, or if I'd have to raid my savings."

She laughed, showing off a rosy little blush that added life to her clear porcelain complexion.

_If this kept up_, he thought desperately, he'd start writing a sonnet about her. He thrust out the flowers almost aggressively. "For you," he muttered.

The blush deepened. Hinata was wearing some kind of dusty rose lipstick, and her lips looked full and generous as they curved into a delighted smile. "I didn't get anything for you," she joked, her voice low and husky.

Her voice had always been like that, hadn't it? So why did his pulse suddenly rev up like an engine at the Indy 500?

Then, she got up and took a vase off of the tall bookcase behind her worktable.

He thought he'd been shocked. Now he was beyond shocked. He felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to his chest as he tried without success to take a breath.

She wasn't wearing her usual baggy jeans. Instead, she wore a short flannel sundress in a fragile pastel pink that floated like a cloud around her body. The neck scooped to reveal the gentle swell of her beasts. And she was wearing strappy white sandals.

With _heels._

He wasn't sure what weird equation of physics made heels do what they did to women's legs, but they were acting in overdrive on Hinata's. Her legs were long and luscious, just the way he liked…

_This is Hinata you're ogling._

The thought brought him up short.

"So, what brought this on, Naruto?"

"What do you think?"

One of her finely arched eyebrows quirked up. "Let's see. Because you don't think I have a prayer of doing anything but making a fool of myself with this bet?"

"I never said that," he interrupted. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Translation – you think I'm going to get hurt because I'm not the sort of women men go bonkers over."

_Until today,_ he thought. "I never thought you were ugly," he said instead, more sharply than he'd intended.

"Oh, really? Then what did you think?"

Before Naruto could reply (more heatedly than before), the phone rang.

Hinata sighed and snatched up the receiver. "Yes?"

Naruto took a deep breath.

"Glinda, Good Witch of the North?" Her eyes widened, bewildered, then closed. "Oh, my God. Hi, yes, I'm sorry. This is Hyuuga Hinata. I didn't mean to snap like that, I'm just in a middle of something. Is this Sasuke?"

Any thought of Naruto refining the answer he's going to give Hinata disappeared. Uchiha Sasuke? What was he doing, calling Hinata here? And what did he want?

* * *

What does _the _Uchiha Sasuke wants with Hinata?

It's fairly easy to predict... **Squeaks**


	5. Chp 5: Oh! The Nerve of Him!

**Chapter 5: Oh! The Nerve of Him!**

**Author's Note: **T.T Absolutely adore you guys for reviewing! **bursting with appreciation** I had a sudden of an anime/manga whirlwind craze e.g. borrowing them from the library like crazy which includes: Ayashi no Ceres, The Tarot Café (love it!), Ranma ½ (FUNNY! Had a stitch on my side for the whole night), Wolf's Rain; unfortunately, no D.N.Angel :

And… uh… I never knew anyone is living close to Manhattan Beach! Pardon me if my memory is a bit hazy of the shops there…

Haven't update my profile for a while now, will be checking these guy's profiles out! Such generous and constructive reviews!

Draonheart0000, Shy-Princess, Neko-Youkai, Auntritaprincess, Arch Ducky, kagome7inuyasha75, loujane14, kill it, Naruto3110, anon, Mystical-Dreamer57, I like angst (by far, the longest review!), Elsie-neechan, drop-below.rise-above, H.L.F.K.S.K.T Kaoru, Kichou, Kagome5177, brittny, Tarnee, band geeks are hot

* * *

**Tiny Recap:**

Hinata sighed and snatched up the receiver. "Yes?"

Naruto took a deep breath.

"Glinda, Good Witch of the North?" Her eyes widened, bewildered, then closed. "Oh, my God. Hi, yes, I'm sorry. This is Hyuuga Hinata. I didn't mean to snap like that, I'm just in a middle of something. Is this Sasuke?"

Any thought of Naruto refining the answer he's going to give Hinata disappeared. Uchiha Sasuke? What was he doing, calling Hinata here? And what did he want?

---

Naruto stopped himself, midthought. Oh, he could guess what good ol' Sasuke wanted, all right.

"Hi, Sasuke. Yes, I've recovered fully from this weekend. You're a brave man, not to run off screaming at the sight of me. I'm sure I was something to see." She chuckled half-heartedly. "What? Oh that." She laughed again and Naruto saw a deep red blush creep across her face. "You weren't suppose to notice that blop of oatmeal there."

Naruto saw purple. Suddenly, he felt the overwhelming urge to hit something, preferably Sasuke. That leech!

"Hmm…So, you want a local person's advice on what the hot spots are in Manhattan Beach, huh? Well, I guess I could help you a little. I know several excellent restaurants, a ton of sports bars and a few dance clubs…what?" Naruto suppressed the urge to hit the speaker button and hear what was causing the shocked look on her face. "Um, I'm, uh, not sure. Today's Thursday, right? No, I don't have any other plans tonight…"

Naruto clenched his fist. The man was railroading Hinata into a date. The nerve of the guy!

"What? Your other line? Sure, I can hold," Hinata said. She looked over at Naruto, covering the mouthpiece. "It's Sasuke. I'm holding."

"Breathlessly," Naruto growled. "You're not thinking of going out with that character, are you?"

"Well, I hadn't…" she started, then stopped, her eyes flashing. "Why shouldn't I?"

"He could be an ax murder for all you know!"

He's Uchiha Sasuke!" Hinata exclaimed. "At this point, he's getting so famous he's lucky to go to the bathroom in privacy, much less kill anyone!"

"My point exactly!" yelled Naruto, then stopped. No, that wasn't his point at all. Normally, he had a lot more logic on his side, but his anger had seriously shorted out the better part of his brain. "Why would you want to go out with some celebrity freak show otherwise? Think about it!"

Hinata's eyes narrowed, like shards of hazel ice. "Or, mre to the point, why would he want to go out with me?"

Naruto grimaced. "Don't go there, Hinata. I swear."

"Sasuke? Hi." Her voice rang with an edge of steel. "I'd love to go out to dinner with you tonight. I think we should try the Blue Moon, over on Manhattan Beach Boulevard. It's sort of nouveau Italian, and the food is terrific. How does seven sound?"

After she hung up. Naruto growled and asked pugnaciously, "How did he get your work number?"

"I don't have to answer you! Now, please go. I think this conversation has gone about as far as it can go."

"We're not finished," Naruto warned. He opened the door with full force only to see Hanabi staring up at him with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Wipe that stupid smirk off your face!"

Naruto couldn't resist slamming the door, an action that caused several heads to pop up like gophers over the low cubicle walls in the main room. He scowled at them and they disappeared rapidly.

"How dare he shut to door so rudely at your face!" Hinata yanked the doorknob open to receive Hanabi in.

Hanabi clicked her tongue, "No worries, sis. Men in a jealous rage, I get it." She waved her hand dismissing the previous sting from Naruto's comment. "Besides let's talk about the date tonight!"

"You were eavesdropping!" Hinata said, horrified.

"Hey, being the receptionist has its perks. I could probably blackmail the whole company for all I care." Her skyscraper heels clacked as she advanced towards Hinata. She began to self-consciously compare her old look to Hanabi's: where Hanabi's brown tresses were carefully coifed, her own unruly beryl waves were pulled haphazardly in a scrunchy white elastic band, to stay out of her way while she worked.

_She always looked porcelain-doll perfect. Even by the end of the day._

"Hi, Neji?" Hanabi cooed through her Nokia N80. "I'm not calling from the zoo!" She gripped the phone. "I do not sound like a bird!" Hanabi heaved a long sigh and calmly continued, "Shut up and listen. Our Hinata is going on a date with Uchiha Sasuke!"

A pitchy squeal came blaring out from Hanabi's cell phone.

Hinata groaned. Hanabi hung up.

"Neji wants all of us to meet at your house a.s.a.p." Hanabi dragged Hinata to the car park.

Protesting "what about work?" was met with a cool reply laden with plenty of suspicious mystery. "Well, Mr. Daimyou owed me one, dear sis. Don't need to know much of it! Now, scoot over! I'm driving."

Hinata stapled her seatbelt tight.

* * *

"For all the days I've coached you, what would you be wearing?" Neji demanded as his hands stood akimbo on his hip bones.

"Um… white silk blouse, pinstriped charcoal trousers, low heels, black blazer."

Hanabi sighed and rolled her eyes. Neji muttered a "she doesn't get it."

"Are you going on a date or an interview?"

The remark hung in the air until Neji broke the silence by gently prodding Hinata, "Why don't you wear one of your new dresses?"

"Well, A, I wore one of them to work today, B, it's going to be chilly tonight, and C, I don't want to wear anything that screams 'Take me, I'm yours!' to Sasuke, who probably has mre scantily clad groupies than the Rolling Stones."

Neji and Hanabi sighed in frustration. Voicing out 'groupies' and 'Sasuke gives Brad Pitt a run for his money', Hinata's bundle of nerves surfaced. "Did you have something constructive to tell me, or are you just trying to give me an ulcer?" She yanked off the dress she wore for work impatiently.

"Relax, honey. Breathe," Neji said soothingly. "In through the nose, out through the mouth."

"Easy for you to say. You're not having dinner with the most eligible man in America." Hinata took a deep breath.

Hanabi rummaged in her closet. "Wear something classy and timeless. The Blue Moon is not exactly a dine."

"I know that!" snapped Hinata.

"Shush," Neji told Hanabi and comforted Hinata.

"I feel like an idiot, Neji. My palms are sweating, and my heart's beating like a jackhammer."

"Sounds like love," Hanabi suggested in a singsong tone.

"Sounds like terror," Hinata retorted in the same tone. Neji just gave Hinata a perceptible glance.

After dressing and applying some make up – "It's a date for chrissakes!" Neji got rather tired of Hinata's debate between au natural and artificial colouring, the doorbell rang. All of the three girls (Neji's a she-man) jumped.

"Oh no. It's him" Hinata breathed shortly.

"Remember to take a condom," Neji advised. Hanabi had to keep from laughing as Hinata was forced to greet the Most Eligible Bachelor at the door with Neji sneakily stuffing a silvery pack into her purse before running away to hide in her bedroom.

Hinata turned bright pink, hoping that Sasuke did not see her cousin brother's antics. She curved her frozen smile up more naturally and directeded it to Gorgeous Guy.

"Hi, Sasuke." She took a good look at him. He was wearing a pair of black hinos and dark green cable knit sweater.

"Hi." He smiled back. "I barely recognized you."

"You're telling me," she said with feeling, grabbing a light jacket and her purse. "I barely recognize myself these days."

When she turned back to face him, he was staring at her strangely. "Why?"

"Why, what?"

"The only time I've seen you, I didn't get a good look at your face," he explained, his smile broadening but his eyes still puzzled. "So it's a surprise to me. But I'm sure you've seen your own face without oatmeal before."

Hinata blushed. _Nothing like starting the evening off feeling stupid!_ She laughed self-deprecatingly. "Well, the oatmeal is doing wonders. I'm a completely new person, which is why I have trouble recognizing myself." Somehow, that sounded lamer out loud than it did in her head.

"Really?" He gave her a complete once-over. "What did you look like before?"

"I used to be a 6-foot-tall Scandinavian, for one thing," smirking playfully.

He laughed. Hinata grinned weakly. _Oh God, let me survive tonight._

Half an hour later, Hinata was still surviving. Barely. She had managed to order without embarrassing herself, and there had only been three uncomfortable pauses. However, she had managed to knock over her water twice, and had come perilously close to setting her menu on fire with the romantic tea-light candle in the center of the table.

"Sorry," she said, trying to smile. His eyes were kind, but she felt sure it was a sort of "taking pity on the handicapped" smile. "I'm not usually this clumsy."

"At the risk of sounding immodest, I've been around people who got nerves around me." He shrugged. "You get used to it."

Hinata frowned. "Well, you _are_ gorgeous. I guess I figured other people must get pretty blasé about that after a while."

They both blinked at what she said, Sasuke felt secretly pleased at her comment. Thus, Hinata stammered and almost knocked over her third glass of water that night. "I'm sorry…that wasn't…oh, God. That sounded really stupid, didn't it?"

"Actually, that was really cute." He laughed. "I meant that people usually get nervous about the money thing. Of course, there is that stupid 'Eligible Bachelor' thing…"

"I remember reading about that," Hinata said, remembering Neji pinning a picture of him in her mobile for 2 months.

"Ever since that went into print, I've had women literally tongue-tied when I wind up going to dinner with them. Or else chatting their head off trying to convince me they're the greatest thing since sliced bread."

"Ick." Hinata rolled her eyes, laughing. "No problems here. I'm definitely not the greatest thing since sliced bread."

"I don't know," a playful spark in his eyes and a hint of laughter in his voice. "It's really easy to talk to you and you're disarmingly honest, Hinata." His eyes glinted with mischief. "Or is it Sunny? I heard that guy – what was his name?- calling you that."

"Oh," she said, feeling a blush head her cheeks yet again. "That. My friend Naruto. He just calls me that nickname to get me out of my shy shell."

Sasuke smiled warmly. "Well, you're definitely very confident tonight, even cracking a few jokes that made me laugh. You're very pleasant. The sunny part fits well enough."

Hinata smiled, flustered, uncertain of what to do next. It was just a simple compliment, but she wasn't sure how to react. She fell silent, and he waited expectantly. She wished she had anything, absolutely anything, to talk about.

Then, she saw _him._

Naruto sauntered in with a sly smile. He didn't look at her. He was instead riveted on his dining companion for the evening.

The woman was perhaps 5'10'' with platinum blond hair and a huge chest that didn't bob when she walked. It was easy to tell, too, in that painted-on dress she was almost wearing. The woman was draped over Naruto like a shawl. Hinata felt her blood pressure rise a little.

"Speak of the devil," Sasuke said. "Isn't that your friend?"

"It would appear to be," she said tightly. "I don't know the woman though."

"She doesn't seem to be the sort of person one would forget," Sasuke said with a little cough, looking at the woman skeptically.

Hinata immediately graced Sasuke with a radiant smile.

Their dinner arrived as Naruto and the Walking Bust were seated at a table not far from them, behind Sasuke. Unfortunately, they were in Hinata's immediate line of vision. She focused on Sasuke's face and tried not to let her eyes wander to the table where the woman was making playful, teasing gestures with those French-manicured nails of hers. Naruto just smiled as the woman pawed him.

"Something wrong?" Sasuke asked, frowning with concern.

"Hmm? Oh. Nothing," Hinata muttered, looking down at her plate.

Naruto leaned forward to catch what his date was saying after they ordered, and Hinata watched as the woman took an obvious nibble at his ear. Then, Naruto looked directly at Hinata and gave her a slow, deliberate wink.

Hinata's breath caught her throat as something clicked in her mind.

_That bum!_

It was a setup. She might've guessed! He was showing her the type of woman _The Guide_ worked for…the moves, the looks, the surreptitious nibbles. He was rubbing Hinata's face in the fact that there was no way she could handle this date with Sasuke. She was outclassed, outmaneuvered and hopelessly out of her league.

She turned to Sasuke, her heart racing with anger. Hinata took a long, slow sip of her water, letting the icy liquid clam her down a little. _You're a woman. Be a woman._

It's now or never. Hinata hadn't studied that little magazine for nothing.

She let the straw trail on her lower lip suggestively before putting her drink down. "I love this restaurant," she said, her voice deliberately husky.

Sasuke's eyes widened, and the forkful of rice he's begun to eat remained suspended in midair. "Really?"

"Mmhmm." She smiled, consciously taking a deep breath high up her chest. "It's one of my favourite places in Manhattan Beach. It's quiet, it has this great romantic atmosphere, and the food…" She smiled, picking up a forkful of her own risotto and tasting it. The delicate blend of Parmesan and the earthy taste of mushroom blended perfectly with the light, crisp asparagus. She didn't have to play up the moan of satisfaction. "Well, obviously the food is heavenly."

Sasuke was staring at her as if he'd never seen her before. She beat down the instinct to creep back into her shell. He would react in one or two ways: either he'd think she was absolutely insane, or he'd find it attractive and sensual, just as the magazine claimed.

His eyes suddenly glowed, a deep, mesmerizing onyx. She'd only seen that sort of look directed at other people, like Hanabi or Neji, but she knew what it meant. _Full steam ahead._

Now that it was directed at her, she wasn't entirely sure what to do with it. She tried for a sexy smile, and his answering grin was uncomfortably intense. Hinata then glanced down at Sasuke's plate: poached salmon in a wine sauce. "Could I have a taste of that?" she murmured, looking at him hesitantly. "I've never tried that dish before."

Sasuke smiled, and he picked up a morsel on his fork, holding it out to her.

Hinata's eyes widened. She'd meant could he put it on her plate. She'd never really eaten off another mans fork before, unless you counted Naruto's, which obviously he didn't. The act seemed too intimate, and she started to protest. One glance at Naruto stopped the protest in her throat.

Naruto was staring at Hinata again, ignoring the lettuce his date was offering. Amazingly enough, he actually had the nerve to look disapproving!

With a slow smile, Hinata leaned forward, taking the salmon neatly off the fork in one small bite. The salmon was incredible, she noted, and she obligingly let out a long sigh.

"God, if I could find that chef, I'd marry him," Hinata said happily, her eyes half-lidded.

Sasuke leaned over and took her hand, surprising her out of her feelings of triumph. "How about if I just promised to take you here every night?"

Hinata laughed nervously, wondering if she should tug her hand away without seemingly rude. Sasuke waited a minute, then stroked the back of her hand gently before bringing his own hand back to his side of the table.

Hinata suppressed a sigh of relief and made a me concentrated effort to focus on him, rather than the table acroos the room. She held her end pretty well, she thought, as they discussed recent movies and books. She conclude that Sasuke was Mr. Nice Guy, as well as good-looking.

She kept _The Guide _stuff to a minimum, though. Nice or not, Sasuke definitely made her nervous.

"Everything looks so good," Sasuke said, glancing over her. "What would you recommend?"

She gave the dessert cart a cursory glance. "The chocolate raspberry decadence sundae," she said immediately. "That's what I'd get, but I'm not really that hungry. I always share it with…" She stopped, before she could say _with Naruto._

He smiled at her, that sexy smile that was beginning to irritate her. "Then, we'll share, okay?"

She nodded.

"Oh Naruto-darling, I shouldn't! Really. Can't you see this dress? I'm supposed to stick to salads!"

Hinata glanced over at Naruto's table, the dessert cart's next stop. His date was making a lot of noise, attracting most of the patron's glances and showing off that bionic-woman body of hers. Hinata rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry," Hinata heard Naruto say over the woman's squealing. "We can split it."

Hinata's face flushed, red.

"Um, Hinata?" Sasuke asked tentatively. "Are you okay?"

Hinata brought her attention back to Sasuke, immediately feeling guilty. "I'm sorry, Sasuke. I've had a lot on my mind lately."

He nodded, and it seemed as if he really understood. "Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really."

"You sure?" He smiled and took her hand again, without any sexy stares or smiles, just friendly. This time, she let him. His hand was warm and comforting. "I'm a good listener." He continued as he felt Hinata giving him a squeeze in which to assure him everything's fine. "You were doing fine, but I did noticed you were kind of distracted. Could you tell me one thing, though?"

She smiled wearily. "Sure. What?"

He glanced over his shoulder, leaned forward and asked quietly, "Why are you so obsessed with that big-chested woman?"

Hinata's eyes popped wide-open. "Oh, my God."

"Not that she isn't eye-catching, but you've been sending looks over to that table that could skewer things."

Hinata put her head down on their joined hands, feeling blood rush to her face. Sasuke nudged her head up with the back of his hand, forcing her eyes to meet his. "Come on. It's that guy, isn't it? Your friend Naruto."

"No, it's not like that," she muttered, looking desperately in his eyes for understanding. "You see… well, I've known Naruto since I was eight. He's my best friend. But he, along with about all of the male population of Los Angeles, thinks I'm about as sexy as a nature documentary. And being my best friend, he had no real compunction about letting me know that." Her voice broke and she shut up quickly, before she did something even more humiliating. Like crying.

"I've seen some pretty racy nature documentaries," Sasuke said, causing Hinata to smile and fend off the tears she felt hovering. "And if this guy, or any of the other guys in this city, thinks that you're not absolutely gorgeous, then they're all crazy. You, lady, are one of the prettiest woman I've ever seen."

Hinata smiled. "I like my legs even."

"I like your legs, too," Sasuke said, wriggling his eyebrows, causing her to laugh. "So. What are our friends doing now?" he whispered, leaning over the table, his face set in melodramatic look of spy like secretiveness.

Hinata sent over a similar dramatic glance. "She's eating ice cream off of a spoon. He's feeding her," she reported.

"Aw, we can do better than _that_."

* * *

**Heh.**


	6. Chp 6: Just A Breath Away

**Chapter 6: Just a breath away…**

**Author's Note: **Squeals :Riku Harada, Hinata Hyuuga and Hermione Granger are my favourite female chars!

Again! I am so delighted with YOUR response! Thank you to all who had reviewed and would hopefully keep reviewing:

SilverMoon, Elsie-neechan, Auntritaprincess, pigs103, Writes on walls, Kichou, I like angst, bob, loujane14 (long!), H.L.F.K.S.K.T Kaoru, encyser, smiling-is-a-mask, Morlow, LenKun, aizuhime, lovinbishonenboysanyaoi, Mystical-Dreamer57, band geeks are hot, Shy-Princess, cheh, Carmen-Nemrac and Tarnee.

* * *

**Tiny Recap:**

"I like your legs, too," Sasuke said, wriggling his eyebrows, causing her to laugh. "So. What are our friends doing now?" he whispered, leaning over the table, his face set in melodramatic look of spy like secretiveness.

Hinata sent over a similar dramatic glance. "She's eating ice cream off of a spoon. He's feeding her," she reported.

"Aw, we can do better than _that_."

--

Hinata smiled, perfectly at ease with Sasuke for the first time all night. His answering smile was mischievous, and she chuckled.

Suddenly, she and Sasuke were putting on a display that would have put _9 ½ Weeks _(it's a movie starring Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant) to shame. He fed her ice cream, and she devoured outrageously, darting her tongue out, licking her lips seductively. She fed him spoonfuls, cooing ridiculous names like "Honey-bunny" and "Pumpkin Blossom" between bites. It was hysterically funny, especially since no one would expect this kind of behavior from her. Heck, she was surprising herself!

It was apparently doing the trick, too… She not only had Naruto's attention, she had drawn the attention of several other tables. It was all she could do not to burst out laughing.

She glanced over to study Naruto's response and was shocked out of her merry state. His date had put aside the spoon and had now scooted her chair closer to Naruto, latching on his neck like a vampire with her big fat lips. His eyes were half-closed, like a bored cat's. He barely gave Hinata a cursory glance as he continued to calmly eat his ice cream.

Hinata felt angry, and challenged at the gauntlet Naruto had thrown down. She took one last look at the dish she and Sasuke had just demolished. The only thing left was the long-stemmed cherry they'd put aside. "Do you want that cherry?" she asked, glancing at Sasuke.

"If you want it, it's yours," Sasuke said, rubbing his stomach and laughing. "I'm going to have a huge stomachache tonight, but it was worth it. I haven't had this much fun in ages!"

"You think that's something," she muttered, picking up the cherry and licking it. "Watch this."

Hinata bit down the cherry fiercely, ripping it off the stem and slowly chewed it, dribbling a little juice down the corner of her mouth.

"Bravo," Sasuke said, clapping lightly, but she stopped him with a curt hand motion.

"Not yet," she said, holding the stem at eye-length. "This is the good part. Watch carefully."

With a quick, succinct motion, she sucked the cherry stem in. Her face remained stock-still for a moment, as she moved her tongue in a flurry of hidden activity. Slowly, she smiled, then put her fingers to her lips. With one graceful pull, she produced the cherry stem…only now it was tied into a square knot!

She was gratified by his look of shock. "Party trick," she murmured, shrugging.

Sasuke's jaw dropped. "I feel like I need a cigarette, and I don't even smoke!"

Applause exploded around her, and Hinata glanced up.

Two tables of men in business suits were clapping wildly, one man even standing up. "You go, girl!" Wolf whistles emerged from different areas. She even caught several pops of flashbulb.

Torn between running out of the building and hiding under the table, a gesture that surely would have been misinterpreted, Hinata stood up and curtsied graciously, her face aflame. _The Guide didn't have a chapter on this one_, she reflected_. How precisely did one look sexy while making a fool of oneself?_

Then, she looked over at Naruto's table.

Naruto was choking on his ice cream. The busty blonde was hitting him on the back, hard. He only stared at Hinata, his eyes bulging in shock.

Hinata burst in a radiant smile. With a flirty little flounce, she turned to Sasuke. "Well, I guess my work here is done," she murmured, in her best superhero voice. "You ready to go?"

* * *

"That was TOO FUNNY!" Hinata crowed, feeling drunk as Sasuke walked her home. 

"I think you've pretty much prove your sexiness to the businessmen of South Bay," Sasuke agreed, ambling next to her. "You sure convinced me."

Hinata sighed. "I can't thank you enough, Sasuke."

"Anytime." He tugged a lock of her hair gently. "It was my pleasure."

Hinata stopped. "No, really. It…I didn't realize how much it hurt when Naruto said what he did. I know he's not trying to be hurtful, but sometimes honesty is worse, you know?"

"He wasn't being honest," Sasuke muttered, "he was being mistaken. Why did he say it anyway?" _I think you're very pretty._ Sasuke unconsciously blurt it out and was very surprised to see Hinata the floss pink creeping to Hinata's cheeks. Oh! He didn't even know! "If you're not a woman, what are you?" Sasuke joked.

_What else would you be, a poodle?_ Hinata remembered Naruto's hooting remark over _The Guide. _"Well, Naruto thinks I'm just like his guy friends. We watch football together, we watch movies together. He's attempted to teach me to surf, but I'm hopeless," she explained, starting to walk again. "He was with me when my mother died. I was with him when he got his MBA (a business degree). He's my best friend, Sasuke. He wouldn't lie to me."

"Maybe he just can't handle the truth," Sasuke mused.

"What truth can't he handle?" Hinata frowned.

Sasuke smiled. "Why don't you keep thinking about it, and let me know what you come up with."

Within minutes, they were at their street. Stopping in front of the trellis over the gate to her walkway, Hinata paused, wondering what to do next. She liked Sasuke, but she didn't want to invite him in. Well, she did sort of want to invite him in, but only to talk, and from the way their conversation was running, they'd only talk about Naruto. Even for a casual date, that seemed tacky.

"Well, I guess this is my stop," she said, shifting her weight nervously from foot to foot. "Thanks for taking me out tonight, Sasuke."

"We'll have to do it again sometime," he said, his grin like summer lightning. "Um… this is usually the 'good-night kiss' part."

Hinata smiled weakly, taking a half step back. She thought of something fast. "Would you believe that I don't kiss on first dates?"

"Would you believe that's the first time I've heard it outside of a movie?" Sasuke laughed. Hinata sighed in relief as he didn't come any closer, but what he said next threw her off-guard.

"I like you, Hyuuga Hinata."

Reacting naturally, she grinned back. "I like you, too, Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke lowered his eyes when she said that, but then lifted them to meet with hers; full of sparkle and hope. "Say, I have an idea. What are you doing on Saturday?"

"Nothing. Why?"

"There's a bi party, formal dress thing over Century City. It'll probably be a crashing bore, but I think I'd have a lot more fun if you were there. Will you come with me?"

Hinata felt her stomach constrict. "Formal dress? As in, really fancy?"

He nodded, and his eyes were pleading. "I don't know a lot of girls out ehre…I'm out from New York for only a couple of months. It would be a huge favour if you'd come. Please?"

Hinata sighed. He'd been such a great sport about the dinner. It seemed to be the least she could do. "All right, Sasuke."

"Excellent." He gave her a broad grin. "I'll pick you up Saturday at seven pm. See you then." Sasuke kissed her cheek quickly, then whistled his way down to his front gate.

Hinata turned to her own walkway, stepping up to her front door and unlocking it. She walked into her empty house, shutting the door behind her.

Sasuke was warm, funny, gentle and nice. He was, as most magazines claimed, everything a woman would want in a man. So why didn't her heart race when he talked to her? Why wasn't she getting all gooey and weak in the knees when he flashed that gorgeous smile?

Maybe there was something wrong with her.

Hinata sighed, flopping on her bed, picking up her transparent cordless phone and dialed blindly, completely by reflex.

"Hello?" she heard Naruto's voice say darkly over the crackle of a cellular phone.

She froze and hung up. To her surprise, she felt a tear trickle hotly down her cheek. She would have to settle this tomorrow with Naruto.

* * *

When Naruto left the restaurant, his date in tow, he was mad enough to spit nails. The plan had been to show Hinata just how badly these _Guide _women could behave, how patently obvious their tactics could be, and Tsunade had filled that teaching position perfectly. What he had not expected was that Hinata would not only miss the point, but eclipse even Tsunade's blatant performance. 

Naruto sighed and sat at his desk the following morning, staring at his computer. He'd been to two meetings, dictated several memos and reports, plowed through half a dozen licensing proposals for Lone Shark Licensing dealers. Unfortunately, he hadn't reall been paying attention to any of them.

Frankly, her performance had shaken him badly.

He wished he could just say it was anger, but he knew better. Just thinking of the episode made his blood heat, even now.

He got up to open his window, hoping that a cool breeze from the ocean would lower his temperature. He could only enjoy for a second before his door flew open.

"What the hell is this?"

Naruto whipped his head around. His eyes burned at the sight of her. Although he noticed the rage in her big pure eyes, his blue ones couldn't help but raked down to her body. She was wearing an ice blue sweater with a white mini-skirt that showed off her long legs like an art display. His temperature inched up another notch. Before anything else could inch up, he grabbed the printout she held, focusing on it as if it was the most important document in the world.

"It appears to be a picture of you eating…a cherry." Naruto suppressed a grin. "Wait a second… how did you get this picture?"

Hinata stared at him dumbfounded. "I thought you'd posted it up in your company website which happened to be linked to a whole lot of different departments in this company!"

Naruto gritted his teeth. _Jiraiya! He's the only possible person. _Naruto felt like punching Jiraiya as he saw a flash of watery eyes on Hinata. "Calm down, Hinata."

His executive assistant walked in at that moment. "Um, boss?"

Naruto frowned, wishing Hinata had shut the door before she exploded. "Yes?" He snapped. Naruto's blood chilled when he noticed it was Jiraiya.

Jiraiya's eyes never left Hinata's legs. "Um…did you finish going over those memos I typed up - ?"

"Jiraiya!" Naruto ordered calmly, steel in his voice. "Did you or did you not post this picture on the company's web site?"

Alarmed by his superior's sudden bluntness, Jiraiya fumbled for an answer.

"I – uh…"

"Next time, if you attempt any of this again, there will be a black record and I can assure you that your record will not be very impressive to other prospective employers."

Translation: Next time this happens again, you're fired.

Hinata sent a poisonous glare over to Jiraiya. Naruto escorted him to the door. Before Naruto could shut the door, however, three other men walked up to him, papers in hand. One of them slipped past Naruto, who swore under his breath.

Naruto decided to deal with these two first before heading back in to haul the other one out. "What do you guys want?" Naruto said shortly, while keeping an ear open on the younger man and Hinata's conversation.

"Hi there. I'm Konohamaru. I saw you on the Web site."

"Did you?"

"Yeah, and I was wondering if you'd be interested in dinner sometime. Or maybe a movie?"

The other two guys thrust documents into Naruto's hand, all the while ogling at Hinata. Naruto took a quick look at one of the sheets. "Dammit, these are memos you guys sent me last _month_."

The two smiled sheepishly. "Cut me some slack, Naruto. I needed an excuse to get in here. Is that woman hot, or what?"

_Hot? _Other men were calling Hinata _hot?_

Naruto gritted his teeth, and walked back into his office, steering Konohamaru and the other two uninvited employees out of his office. Without another word, he shut the door in their faces, and locked it. He took a deep breath for patience.

Naruto turned back to Hinata who was still standing. He'd never seen this look of anguish and pain on her face.

"Tell me something, will you?" Her voice was low and uneven. "How is it that an intelligent man like yourself can be so completely clueless when it comes to women?"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, right, I forgot… I'm not really a woman, not to you." Her voice was as bitter as coffee grounds. "I'm just good old Sunny, one of the guys. Fine for providing food, hanging out with, and making fun of."

"You make fun of me just as much as I make fun of you," he argued, wishing she'd turn around.

"Oh, right. Add 'gives as good as she gets' to that list. Did it ever occur to you that just once, I'd like to take it easy? I know I haven't had much practice, but I'd like to try being girly and sensitive. I'd even like to cry once and a while without being mocked at. Did you ever think that what you're saying and doing was hurting me?"

That punctured him. "God, Hinata. You know I never want to hurt you."

She finally turned around, and her eyes were swimming with unshed tears. "I'm sorry, Naruto. Last night, then the Web site… no, at first I thought you posted that picture up and I said to myself that it was the last straw. Although, well…since you didn't post it…"

"Hinata," Naruto breathed. He was over at her side in an instant, tugging her lithe body into his arms. She pulled back; her eyes were huge and liquid, the lightest purple luminescent. Hinata bit her lip.

"It's hard to hear from your best friend that you're not pretty, not feminine, that you're never going to get married…"

"Hey, wait a minute," he interrupted, giving her a gentle shake. "I never said anything like that!"

Hinata tilted her head to the side, a sad smile on her face. "Not precisely, but then, did you need to spell it out? I've known you forever. I knew what you were trying to say." She pushed out of his arms and walked over to the glass window. "It's impossible to disagree with you. I mean, look at me. What would a man want with someone like me?"

"Are you kidding, Hinata? You have plenty to offer a man." He leaped to her defense, trying to undo some of the damage he'd caused. "You're smart, sexy, and funny. You just don't see it in yourself.

Hinata, please. I already feel so low. I know I was just being selfish. I was…" Naruto paused, taking a deep breath and admitted to Hinata what he'd never admit in front of anybody else…not his family, not my friends, not anyone. "I was afraid. I was scared you'd change into one of those superficial, man-crazy _Guide _girls. And I was afraid I'd lose the best friend I have. How lame is that right?"

She sent him a watery smile. "Actually, I kind of know how you feel. I tried calling you last night. I chickened out, because I didn't know how to talk to you about this."

He stuck out his hand. "Let's make a pact. No matter what happens, we stay best friends. That means we can talk to each other about anything, and whatever else is going on in our lives, we're there for each other. Deal?"

She shook his hand. "Deal," she said and threw her arms around him. "Let's not go through this again."

He returned the hug fiercely, crushing her to him. "We won't. I'm not going to risk losing you again, angel."

"An-gel?" Hinata's cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were wide and clear, and looking up at him with that tenderness that he hadn't seen in way too long. She fitted snugly against his body. He stroked the back of her head, feeling the silky softness of hair beneath his fingers.

He looked down, and she looked up.

He leaned down, close, his eyes never leaving hers.

Just a breath away from her lips…

**ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

**Well now, we'll just have to wait and see.**

Something you guys would want to know: This is my second NaruHina fic and I started on a SasuHina fic: Seasons of the Witch. It has been a while, but I've updated the SasuHinata fic last week.

Okay, happy reading! (whilst you wait for my update on this fic) Love you guys! hugs


	7. Chp 7: Throw Some Attitude, Hinata!

**Chapter 7: Throw Some Attitude, Hinata!**

**Author's Note: **Okay, I have some explaining to do. First of all, the _9 ½ Weeks _is not starred by Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant. My mistake! slaps hand to forehead Thank you for pointing that out, encyser!

And **WOW. **You guys are just brilliant!

Elsie-neechan, switchblade-boarder, Mystical-Dreamer57, Kurotenshi2nd, aizuhime, shinenagai, encyser, LenKun, loujane14, Yumi Kitsuna Kazeyokai, I like angst, Shy-Princess, AuroraStarPhoenix, H.L.F.K.S.K.T Kaoru, Kylora, Kagome5177 (spot on! It's an almost kiss!)

The details in your reviews, how my fic personally affected you (with lots of laughs, I hope :) ) was amazing. This fic has a much longer journey to go, and how right you are that there will be lots of drama at the party (which will take me some time to write – chapter 8).

**Tiny Recap: **

He looked down, and she looked up.

He leaned down, close, his eyes never leaving hers.

Just a breath away from her lips…

--

He stopped.

_Wait a second, what am I doing?_

He jerked away as if she were an electricified fence. He put a few crucial feet of space between them, then stared at her. Naruto could feel his heart pounding in his chest like a jackhammer, and noticed that her eyes were huge, almost wary.

"Well. I'm glad we got that all straightened out," he said, clearing his throat.

"Oh. Me, too." Hinata still stared at him.

Naruto cleared his throat again. _Boy, that was a close one. _What had he been thinking? "I've got an idea of how I can make it up to you."

"Naruto," Hinata said in a skeptical tone.

"We'll do a trial run. Meet me at Sharkey's, around seven?"

"This better be good," Hinata muttered.

"And dress up."

Her eyes widened. "Huh?"

"Just thrust me," Naruto said, nodding.

"You're lucky I'm free tonight," Hinata replied, completely forgotten that it was a designated date night (according to Neji). "Seven at Sharkey's. Got it."

* * *

The problem was, this had seemed like a good idea in theory. Now, looking at it, it occurred to Naruto that this whole plan would have worked a lot better if the Gang hadn't taken their job so _seriously._

"Naruto, this is ridiculous," Hinata said, laughing.

"I think my brother had a spectacular idea," Gaara said, throwing an arm around her shoulders. Kiba caught her hand in his. "If you want to learn to catch a guy, you gotta go to the source."

"Nobody said anything about catching guys," Naruto said sharply. "I just said she needed to be more comfortable around them when she's dressed up."

And dressed up she was. She looked sharp in a dark lavender dress; similar to the pink one he'd first seen her. The colour matches her eyes. She was wearing heels again, too. Naruto scrupulously avoided staring at her legs. Or her chest. Or her face, really. He's pretty much resigned himself to talking to the top of her head.

But the other guys had no such problems.

"Hey, babe," Kiba said, beaming his best come-on smile at her. "Come here often?"

"Kiba, we were just here last Monday night, remember? Catching the game?"

Kiba frowned, nonplussed. "Oh. Right." He brightened, and tried the smile again. "But you didn't look like _this, _gorgeous."

"Naruto, this is insane." She walked over to where he was standing. He noticed the guys riveted to the gentle sway of her hips (even his brother!) and had to stop himself from glaring at them. "It's not like they're really _men_."

"I resent that," Gaara piped.

"Yeah, just give us a try, baby," Iruka said, wriggling his eyebrows. "We'll be _plenty_ enough love for you, hot stuff."

"Hot stuff? Gorgeous? What, do you guys get handed a manual in high school or something?"

"Naruto," Kiba whined. "She's not taking this _seriously_."

"How can I?" Hinata laughed. She was wearing darker lipstick, too, and her eyes seemed even larger in the dim light. Whatever she was doing with makeup was working, big time. "You guys keep clowning around."

"Just pretend you're at some big party or something," Naruto said, trying his best to be focused. He'd promised her he'd get her out of the mess he'd landed her in. He meant it. If he had to help her become the girliest woman on the face of the planet, then he'd do it. "No matter what the guys say, just keep smiling, but throw attitude at them."

What kind of attitude?" Hinata asked, bewildered.

"Like they're bugs." He smiled. Teaching her to be girly didn't mean she had to be a pushover, however. He wasn't about to teach her how to catch a guy. "Like you're the most beautiful woman alive, and they're wasting your time. Like they're insane to even _dream_ they've got a chance with you."

"Hey, Naru, no fair," Kiba said, frowning. "I get treated like that by every other woman I meet. You're ruining all my fun here."

Hinata smiled wickedly, slowly getting the idea. "You mean, treating them like dirt, and they'll revere me as a goddess?

"It's a trade secret, but yup, that's it." Naruto smiled back, savouring the look on her face. _This is going to be good._

Hinata sashayed back to the bar stool she 'd been sitting on. Naruto couldn't help but be riveted this time, either… the sassy little swing in her hips was mesmerizing.

Kiba stepped up to the plate again. "Hey, pretty lady…"

Hinata's eyes were wide and sexy, but her voice was coolly amused. "This – " she gestured down the length of her body "- is not for you." She pointed at him, then smiled and looked away.

Kiba goggled. Iruka laughed and nudged him aside. "Excuse me, miss, do you have 50 cents?" He grinned. "My mother told me to call her when I fell in love."

Hinata reached into her purse and produced 3 quarters. "Here. After you reach her, try calling somebody who cares."

"Ooh, she's good," Gaara said as Iruka good-naturedly grumbled and stepped back. "Here's a better one. Are you tired? Because you've been running through my mind all night long."

Hinata tried to look bored, but the humour glinted through her eyes. Finally, she broke down and laughed. "Okay. You win. You get one dance."

Gaara broke into a huge grin, leading her off to the dance floor. "Works every time," he called over his shoulder, before pushing his way through the shimmying crowd.

Naruto watched as Hinata moved, noticing that several pairs of male eyes were watching her with predatory awareness.

He prayed he didn't have the same look on his own face.

Naruto didn't want to be attracted to her. He didn't want to change what they had. All this time, they'd been friends. At first, he could still superimpose the image of her as a bratty-eight-year-old over her. When that didn't work, he focused on her grubby jeans and oversize sweatshirts.

Frankly, he'd never _let _himself see Hinata as a woman before. Now he didn't have much choice. The proof of her transformation hit him in the face like a slap.

He watched as she laughed at some joke Gaara was making. She looked incredible. She was happy, vibrant, so alive she almost shimmered with it.

Naruto wanted her.

_Want all you want, _his conscience chimed in, _but hand off. She's a friend, remember? Women come and women go, but friends are for life._

It might be bad if he couldn't spend as much time with her because she got married. It would be a comparative hell, however, if he couldn't see her ever again.

The song finished, and Gaara led Hinata away by one hand, grinning smugly. Before they could make it to the side of the floor, another man stepped in front of Hinata, stopping her.

Naruto shot to his feet.

Hinata's eyes widened as the man yelled something to her over the fast tempo of the next song. She glanced nervously at Gaara, who shrugged. She bit her lower lip, then shrugged, herself, and accompanied the man back out on the dance floor.

Gaara walked over to Naruto, whose mouth had dropped open. "Can you beleve that? One dance, and that guy just sneaks in and steals Hinata out from under me."

Naruto ignored the disturbing thought that phrase provoked. "What were you thinking?" he yelled instead. "She's off with a perfect stranger!"

"So?" Gaara shrugged. "She seems to be holding her own. That was the point of this whole exercise, wasn't it?"

Naruto saw the man try to dance a little too close to Hinata, presumably under the pretext of whispering to her. Naruto started to stride toward the floor with the intention of beating the man senseless.

"Whoa, whoa!" Gaara grabbed him. "Easy, fella. She's okay."

Naruto growled but noticed that Hinata firmly nudged the man away from her, shaking her head. _This is not for you, _he saw her mouth to the man, frowning.

Naruto's breathing eased.

"You know," Gaara said perceptively, "if you're not going to sell something, don't put it in the window."

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" Naruto said, too intent on keeping the track of Hinata to really pay attention to his brother's inscrutable words.

Gaara gave him a gentle shove. "It means she looks beautiful, man. Leave her alone."

"I am leaving her alone," Naruto growled.

"Obviously."

Hinata walked back to the group with her dance partner following her like a puppy. She had a small smile on her face. She turned. "Thanks for the dance."

"Can I have your number?" the man asked eagerly.

She thought for a minute. "No."

"Why not?"

"You heard her, buddy," Naruto said, glowering at him as he put an arm around Hinata's shoulders. "Back off."

"All right, all right. Jeez." The man frowned at Naruto, then sent one last hopeful smile at Hinata. "I love your picture on the Web site. I can't wait to tell the guys I danced with the Cherry Babe."

Hinata's eyes widened as the man walked away.

"It was a great picture, you've got to admit," Kiba said, chuckling at her surprise. "Got a good number of hits, too."

Hinata arched an eyebrow and glared at him, "really?"

Kiba smirked, unrepentant. "The mystery thing really got a lot of guys going. A babe is a babe. No average guy is going to run into a 'hand me the cocoa butter' babe in the supermarket'."

"So, what's your point?" Hinata asked, skeptically. "I'm a 'pass the frozen peas' babe?"

"The point is, you're obviously in real life… you're gorgeous, but you're also available. And that's kind of a turn-on." He grinned lasciviously. "That thing with your tongue is pretty hot, too. I kept a copy of the photo for myself."

Hinata covered her face in her hands. "Oh, God…"

"Hey, can I get a few copies?" Iruka inquired. "A couple of guys down at the surf shop wanted to see her, but she got taken off the site too soon."

"No, you can't," Hinata and Naruto said at the same time.

"All right. All right. Sheesh." Iruka looked pained.

Hinata took a quick glance at her watch and sighed. "I've got to go, guys. Thanks for the… education."

The guys put up a chorus of complaints. "It's still early," Gaara pleaded, smiling. "What, you got an early date tomorrow or something?"

"Two, actually," she said, causing Naruto's eyes to narrow. "The first being a spa date with Temari, starting with an early-morning jog with Neji and Kankuro in the tow as well. And since Neji's there, that means _really _early."

"What's the other one?"

"You wouldn't believe it," Hinata said. "There's this big party at the Century Plaza. Big formal dress party. If he weren't so anxious, I'd say no." Hinata clasped her hands together. "I just hope I can get through it without making a fool of myself, especially after the Web site thing."

Naruto felt an aftershock of guilt he'd been hit with that afternoon.

Hinata smiled languidly. "I'll see you guys later."

"I'll walk you to the car," Naruto said.

"It's not that far…"

"I'm coming with you," he said insistently.

"Don't try to get her number," Kiba teased. "Trust me. She's tough!"

Hinata stuck a tongue out at him.

They left amid a barrage of catcalls and loud commentary from the Gang. Hinata just smiled. Naruto didn't.

"Thanks for the help, Naruto. "I know this can't be easy for you."

He grimaced. "What can't be?"

"The fact that you're trying to help me win this bet. I might have to pay you that thousand dollars in installments…"

"Don't be an idiot," he said, rolling his eyes. "We'll work something out."

Hinata nodded with a thankful smile, then shivered.

"Here," Naruto said, taking off the light jacket he was wearing and throwing it over her shoulders. "You'll catch a cold."

"How did I get lucky enough to get a best friend like you?" She gave him a quick hug.

He told his arms not to go around her, but they wouldn't listen.

"Good night," Hinata murmured.

"Good night," he replied, and watched her drive out of the parking lot.

"Where's your jacket?" Gaara asked, glancing at him.

"Hinata was cold."

"She ought to be," Iruka joked. "That was not much of a dress she was wearing."

"So, how'd we do?" Kiba asked. "Is she know a kick-butt, man-eating machine?"

"I wouldn't go that far, but I guess we helped," Naruto replied. "She's not looking forward to that party tomorrow, though. I wish there were some way to ease her worries. That thing on the Web site really got to her." And he'd be damned if he saw her go through that much pain ever again.

"Wait a second…" Kiba said. "There might be a way. She said Century Plaza, right?"

"Right," Naruto said hesitantly. So?"

"So," Kiba said, "that means it's the Haruno party."

"Again, so?"

"_So_, I know the printer who makes all of Haruno's invitations," Kiba said, and grinned wickedly.

It took Naruto a second for Kiba's words to sink in. When it finally did, a matching grin spread across his face.

"Break out your tuxes, boys," he said, snickering and feeling better for the first time that night. "Looks like we've got a party to crash."

* * *

**I wonder what songs do you listen to when you read this fic?**

**I sure don't listen to any songs while I write, but soft classical music at the background is fine.**

**Just so you know, the man on the dance floor was Mizuki (appeared in Naruto Episode 1 as the silver-haired villain)**


	8. Chp 8: Speak of the Devil

**Chapter 8: Speak of the Devil**

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the extremely long update! I had issues to deal with, e.g: temporary deafness (firecrackers), revisions, performances (which went EXCELLENT!) and library books. I've compensated with an extremely long one! Thanks for reviewing!

Lilythepink, FinalFantasy4ever, Purple1, VirtualxSimplicity, killjoy6000, aizuhime, band geeks are hot, I like angst, Mystical-Dreamer57, Twix-mix101, lovinbishonenboysanyaoi, Elsie-neechan, BlueJx23, Kagome5177, shinenagai and hikaru.

**Tiny recap:**

"So, how'd we do?" Kiba asked. "Is she now a kick-butt, man-eating machine?"

"I wouldn't go that far, but I guess we helped," Naruto replied. "She's not looking forward to that party tomorrow, though. I wish there were some way to ease her worries. That thing on the Web site really got to her." And he'd be damned if he saw her go through that much pain ever again.

"Wait a second…" Kiba said. "There might be a way. She said Century Plaza, right?"

"Right," Naruto said hesitantly. So?"

"So," Kiba said, "that means it's the Haruno party."

"Again, so?"

"_So_, I know the printer who makes all of Haruno's invitations," Kiba said, and grinned wickedly.

It took Naruto a second for Kiba's words to sink in. When it finally did, a matching grin spread across his face.

"Break out your tuxes, boys," he said, snickering and feeling better for the first time that night. "Looks like we've got a party to crash."

---

"I didn't know, Hinata. I swear to God, I had no idea."

Itachi snorted beside Hinata. Sasuke frowned and glared at his older brother. Hinata didn't even look up from her glass of champagne. "And I still believe you, Sasuke. Really. Just let it go."

Itachi cleared his throat and blew a stream of curly smoke from his nostrils into his cup of champagne. "Ms. Hinata, I believe that the person who invites you _must _have full knowledge of this party's requirements before dragging you along."

Sasuke grinded his teeth at Itachi's remark. How did _he_ even get invited? Sasuke studied Hinata, his dark chocolate eyes lighting with warmth. Her eyes were fastened on the wispy smoke that are circulating on top of Itachi's drink, swirling around gently. Itachi noticed her fascination, lifted his head and winked at Sasuke.

Sasuke lowered his eyebrows.

Itachi smirked. _Don't worry. She's not my type, _he mouthed. He blew the curling smoke away and took a sip from his champagne.

Hinata turned to grin at Sasuke.

"I can't believe you're being so calm about this. If I were you, I'd be dumping that glass of champagne all over me," Sasuke countered. "There must be five hundred people out there. And. They're all staring at you. But that's no big deal?"

Hinata's eyes glinted. "Well, it's not your fault I decided to wear red. And it's not your fault that you didn't remember that the Haruno Ball is also called Black and White Ball because…"

"Everybody wears black and white," Sasuke said shaking his head. "Why didn't anybody tell me?" Sasuke looked pointedly at Itachi. His older brother shrugged.

"I think it was on the invitation that you didn't really read," Hinata suggested. "Okay, so maybe it was your fault a little. And it is definitely your fault that I'm sitting under a spotlight at the head table, but…"

Sasuke groaned and put his head down on his hands. Itachi smoked.

Hinata laughed. "Okay. Feel guilty. You deserve it."

"I owe you for this one, Hinata."

Hinata chided him. "Sasuke, after what I've been through this week, this is nothing."

When Hinata had walked in with Sasuke, she had seen a sea of stark, unbroken black and white. She froze. Five hundred pairs of eyes had snapped on her, staring as if she'd just emerged from a spaceship. It was strangely reminiscent of her old nightmare of showing up late for a big class design review in her ratty old underwear. Her initial reaction had been to turn, run back out the doors, steal Sasuke's keys from the valet and make an escape. But she hadn't.

Instead, she kept her chin up, her eyes wide and her smile bright. Even if she had a blush that matched her deep red dress, she wouldn't let them see otherwise how humiliating the experience was.

Surprisingly, Neji and Kankuro were among the guests. She caught them staring at her as well, but with different reactions. She saw Neji said something to Kankuro and she could deftly make out the words by lip reading: _Look how beautiful my cousin sister has turned out to be._ Hinata's chest swelled with pride.

She also saw Kankuro's hand snuck out a thumbs-up gesture while he sneakily roved his hand over his freshly-coloured hair. She wasn't going to die of embarrassment. In fact, she wasn't even going to see most of these people again even if they stared at her with a look of amusement, or worse, contempt. She looked pretty good in her sexy apparel – a sassy ruby red evening dress with wide waist tie and pleated ruffled skirt for flair.

The fact was, Hinata loved the dress. It was the first time in her life she could actually say that. She'd put up with the pastel confections that Deidera, her ex-boyfriend, had created, ad the similarly frail summer dresses that Temari had fobbed off on her. But this particular ready-made had practically yelled "Hinata!" when she stepped into the store. She'd turned down all the peaches and pale pinks that Temari had suggested, and when she tried her dress on, even Temari and the saleswoman had to admit it was fantastically fabulous. It fit her like a glove and she felt like a queen in it.

She looked pretty _darned _good. So if everybody else was wearing black and white, so what?

She'd been caked in mud in front of the most eligible bachelor in America. She'd practically smeared whipped cream all over herself in a public restaurant. She was the 'Cherry' Babe on the website, and she had made grown men weep at a nearby sports bar. Compared to all that, wearing red in front of a bunch of socialites was a cakewalk!

The funny thing was, she really needed to thank Naruto for his part in hr new confidence, even if he didn't relies that he had helped her. If he hadn't pushed her, she would never realized how much she could take… or how much she could give. She wasn't sure how it happened, but somehow a lot of things she used to view as "terrifying" were suddenly trivial.

The people she really cared about thought she was fine. More than that; they thought she was beautiful.

Her eyes fell onto her cousin, Neji in a black ribbon and lace evening gown. This cutting-edge design featured three layers of flounced ruffles and a meshed bodice with a ribbon and lace overlay with thin black straps. Coupled up with his tumbling wavy locks and the bust size, Neji looked way too pretty for a female; Hinata's mouth dropped open, stunned. Neji wagged a finger at her and pushed her chin up with her fingers, looking directly at Hinata while dancing with the auburn-haired Kankuro. They looked like patrons that has always been in league with the elites. Although, come to think of it, Neji is a model and Kankuro a make-up artist…

Hinata, remembering her spotlight, closed her dainty mouth laced with Maybelline's Natural Sparkle. She had to admit, Neji looked beautiful with lovely grace and polished features.

Speaking of beautiful, she was pretty sure Naruto thought she was cute, at least.

Hinata sipped her champagne slowly.

She frowned, remembering the strange moment in his office. He'd leaned so close she could practically feel currents of energy running off him. For a brief, crazed moment, she thought he might have kissed her.

Not that _that _was what she wanted. She'd known for years that Naruto was handsome: the sun-kissed rocker locks, smooth tanned skin and how is it even possible to have such blue eyes? If anything, he was _too_ handsome. Men like that were never interested in women like her, so it hadn't occurred to hr to see him as anything but a friend. But for a brief moment, hadn't she hoped…

_No._

Hinata shook her head to banish the thought.

A catty voice sounded, "My, that's quite a dress."

Maintaining her cool, Hinata replied, "Thanks. I love it." She tilted her chin towards the woman and her partner. "The way I see it, red stands out so much better against black and white, don't you think?" She said easily.

"I certainly think so," the women's date agreed instantly without even considering the feelings of his partner.

"Ooops, sorry!" A sultry feminine voice cried as red wine was split onto the dude's tux. The woman who split the drink tripped into the blonde man's arms.

"Oh, no. I'm suppose to be the one apologizing, love," he said it with such rehearsed ease, that Hinata couldn't help but gagged (on the inside). Although somehow, the man seemed awfully familiar.

"Deidera! How could you?" The catty woman gasped in shock before storming off, leaving Neji dragging Deidera away, although it seemed as though Neji already had him on a leash.

Hinata silently thanked Neji. She whipped her head around and looked at Sasuke, who was goggling at her. "Hmm?"

"Who are you, and what have you done with Hyuuga Hinata?"

She chuckled. "I know. It's like the invasion of the pod people, only this time with a sense of humour."

Sasuke shook his head. "You amaze me, Hinata. You don't seem like the girl I had dinner with the other night at all."

Hinata sobered slightly, considering his words. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No," he said quickly. "It's just… well, it's like somebody found your volume control and turned it all the way up."

Hinata shot him a skeptical glance. "And that's suppose to make me feel better?"

Sasuke grinned and gently stroke his fingertip along her jaw line. "It is, when you have been whispering for years, beautiful."

Hinata smiled again. If this kept up, her cheek muscles were going to be cramping. But she couldn't help herself.

"I need to mingle… there are some big fundraisers here tonight," Sasuke said, staring off at the crowd of immaculate dressers. "Want to come with me?"

She shook her head. "I thought I'll people-watch a bit, maybe sit out on the sidelines."

"Okay, gorgeous," Sasuke said. "Give me half an hour and I'll take you home."

Hinata nodded soundlessly.

Sasuke gave her a quick peck on the cheek, then headed out toward the milling guests. They clumped around him like iron fillings on a magnet. He disappeared into the crowd.

_Sasuke was a nice guy, incredibly good-looking as well._ Hinata sighed as her train of thoughts began to trace the smart Dark clothes he had worn. Even though Sasuke said he hadn't read the invitation clearly, he had abided to the dress code. _Black must be a standard colour for guys._

"Sasuke will one day inherit the family's shipping business; he's putting up a good front. He already has an excellent reputation in the world's society. No point ruining that," Itachi said as he noticed the far-away look Hinata had.

"Oh! I wasn't ---"

"You're dating one rich kid."

"I'm not dating him because he's rich!"

"I didn't say you are. I'm just informing you, just to let you know what to expect on the outcome of this relationship," Itachi hummed on his cigarette.

"Oh."

"I'm managing and operating another side-business of the Uchihas, and you may not ask what it is about."

Hinata huffed. _Then why tell her?_ Got her curiosity going for nothing.

A beautiful raven-haired woman stopped her, looking her over. Hinata immediately recognized her from _The Foreign Telegram _and _National Trust_. She also appeared on several mini-TV shows and talk shows, even comedy series! She also work alongside Children with Learning Disabilities Organisation and had donated one quarter of her salary for charity every time she was paid! Her most recent comedy series was _Sliced to Decorate Soup_ and _she looked so different in there than the woman in front of me in that stunning halter top gown…_

"Great dress," Yuuhi Kurenai said.

Hinata blinked. Her tone was genuine, with none of the sarcasm or venom of the woman Hinata had spoken with earlier.

"Thanks," Hinata said, smiling. "I have to admit though, I didn't know about the black-and-white dress code thing."

"Really?" Kurenai flashed her a brilliant smile, and her voice warm. Hinata was momentarily blinded. "I was sitting at my table envying the hell out of you, ready to rip into my agent for not thinking of trying a red dress last year. You're getting a great buzz tonight, so I figured you must be an actress."

"Umm… no," Hinata hastily explained. "I'm a designer."

"That explains it," the lead actress for _Celestial Maidens_ said, snapping her fingers. "It's written all over you. Have I seen your Fall collection?

It took Hinata a minute to figure out what she was asking. Then, she quickly shook her head. "Oh, no. I'm not that kind of designer. I'm a graphic designer. I haven't done fashion stuff in years."

"You might want to rethink that. That dress suits you perfectly… it's simple yet smashing. Sort of Grace Kelly does Versace."

Hinata glanced down at her dress, grinning foolishly. "You know, I was thinking more Audrey Hepburn does Vera Wang."

"Better!" Kurenai reached inside her black crocodile leather purse and handed Hinata a card. "That does it. If you're up for it, I'd love to have you work with me on my dress for the Oscars next year. I'm always looking for a killer stylist. I have a good feeling about you."

A stylist? _Her_? "Um… sure. I mean, I'll think about it." Hinata mentally slapped herself for fumbling with her answer. But she doesn't even have the permit or credentials? She don't want to disappoint her favourite star!

The raven beauty smiled again, this time, a rosier one before moving back into the crowd. Hinata saw Orochimaru latching a possessive arm around her waist, his slender fingers stroked Kurenai's bum gently. Hinata then noticed that Kurenai leaned slightly into Orochimaru whilst talking to his new friend.

Admittedly, Kurenai's love life was very interesting. Firstly with Asuma, then a brief fling with Kabuto, now Orochimaru…

_Okay, now this would be the part where I wake up._

But Hinata didn't wake up. She was still standing there, in her deep red dress, holding the business card of one of the most successful actresses in Hollywood!

She felt like singing. She was queen of the world. She was …. Oh! If only her cousin, friends, and the Gang could see her now!

"Hhmph! That rat doesn't deserve to be with Kurenai! That sneaky bastard," a new voice sounded behind her.

Hinata turned around quickly. What shocked her was another handsome male presence. Are there no short of beautiful people here?

"Don't mind my young uncle, Ms. Hinata," Itachi said, discarding the remains of his cigarette on the floor. "He obviously has an infatuation on Kurenai-san."

"Infatuation, my ass! If I find out she's in cohorts with Orochimaru on Asuma's death…" Kakashi clenched his fist.

"Kakashi." Itachi gripped his shoulder. "Don't you dare hurt Kurenai because of your theory."

Kakashi was soon quiet, but then said, "I won't, but I would try everything in my power to get to the bottom of this, even if it means seducing Kurenai. Be careful, Itachi. Your subtlety towards her is wearing off. Soon, you have to make up your mind." Kakashi shrugged Itachi's hand off his shoulder and walked towards the pair – Kurenai and Orochimaru.

Itachi froze and Hinata gaped.

"Oh, yeah?" Itachi rolled up his sleeves. "He's not beating me to her!" He walked a few long strides before sidestepping from his supposed destination, taking out another cigarette and walking out of the ballroom to smoke.

Hinata shook her head for the second time tonight. She wished the Gang were here now. _They'll definitely stir things up._

She heard the steady rumbling of conversation slow, then grind to a halt. Curious, she looked toward the doorway.

_Speak of the devil._

The Gang were framed in the large doorway, standing resplendent. Naruto, Kiba, Gaara and Iruka posed like _GQ _sentinels, completely indifferent to the stir they were creating.

It was strange enough to see her poker crew at a Haruno party, much less their Black and White Ball. But, as Hinata glanced at their formal attire, she noticed something was missing.

Namely, their pants.

They were all wearing pressed white shirts and shiny black tuxedo jackets. But from the waist down, they wore long, loose-fitting surfer shorts in every colour under the sun, paired with black suede high-topped sneakers. Both the shorts and the sneakers displayed a large logo… the distinctive shark with sunglasses that Hinata herself had designed for Naruto's sportswear company!

In unison, the guys removed their black Wayfarer sunglasses, tucking them away in their inner coat pockets. They walked down the steps, looking every inch like models on catwalk as flashbulbs exploded. Guests let out a tentative chuckle and a smattering of applause.

Hinata made her way to the throng to where they were standing. She loved them for showing up. She just loved them, period.

"Naruto!" She ran up to him and gave him a huge, exuberant hug.

"There you are, sunny." He smiled as she distributed enthusiastic hugs to the rest of the crew. "I was just about to send the guys on a search and rescue for you."

"You could have just stood here on the steps. I'm sure I would have noticed sooner or later." Hinata's hair bubbled as she flashed them a toothy smile. Naruto noticed Hinata had her fringes and the hair ends curled. No doubt for the occasion.

Hinata looked at Naruto, Kiba, Gaara and Iruka, laughter fighting with admiration. Laughter won. "Great gams, gang."

"What do you think?" Kiba struck a _Vogue_-like pose. "I'm too sexy for my shorts."

"You guys are too sexy for this party," Hinata agreed. "What are you doing here?"

The gang didn't say anything but stared pointedly at Naruto. Naruto cleared his throat. "Well, we discussed it last night, and we thought you might need a little more coaching."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh… really."

"Well, we were a little … concern." Naruto looked slightly red, a fact that caused giggles to bubble through Hinata. She'd never thought she'd see the day that Naruto was embarrassed. "I kept thinking about how you said you felt uncomfortable, and how this was going to be awful, and I thought…well, you know."

She took pity on him. "You guys were trying to help weren't you?"

They nodded sheepishly. Then, devilish grins broke out. "So, how are we doing, darling?" Iruka finally said.

Hinata couldn't help it. She burst out in laughter. It was one of the sweetest, silliest things she'd ever seen. When she finally recovered, she said, "Wow! I'm really thankful. You guys are wonderful. Insane, but wonderful."

"And you, cupcake, are stunning," Gaara said, bending over her hand for a courtier-style kiss. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Naruto frowning at the action. "So, do you think you'll give me a dance tonight, or are you going to blow me off?"

"Dance?" Hinata said. She glanced out at the ballroom floor. Couples were doing a slow sway to an elevator-music version of some popular song.

Hinata frowned. "I don't know."

"We'll handle that," Naruto said. "Kiba?"

Kiba grinned broadly. "On my way."

She watched Kiba dart over to the leader of the orchestra. He said his request, then shook the man's hand. Hinata didn't even want to think how much money Kiba was bribing him with.

The song the band was playing limped to a close. Then, after a few moments of silence, the brass section positively exploded into a lively rendition of "Louie, Louie".

The tuxedo- and evening-gown-clad group were stunned yet again. The Gang, however, were in their element. Hinata didn't know whether to hide or simply laugh at the sidelines as four grown men got out there and shook their stuff.

Naruto smiled, taunting her. "Chicken?"

Chicken? Tonight, she could walk on fire. The man had no idea. "Try and keep up with me," Hinata shot back.

With that, Hinata stepped out on the floor and did a vivacious solo Latino dance number, throwing in a couple of fast tap-dancing in motion. She definitely showed them exactly how it was done.

To her utmost surprise, the faces of the crowd were no longer filled with condescension or disdain. They now seemed to be enjoying the spectacle that was livening up what was obviously a traditionally dull party. She noticed several younger couples moving out on the floor and dancing with them. The Gang were a sensation!

Naruto grabbed her waist and they improvised from there. Hinata was having so much fun!

The song wound down with a flourish, and Naruto dipped her on the final note. The crowd erupted into applause. There was no laughter, no mocking, just sheer delight.

Naruto picked her up from the dip, ignoring the response of the rest of the audience. "I don't believe it." His smile seemed to be for her alone. "You're incredible, angel."

He had an arm lightly resting around her waist; she was still giddy and breathless from dancing. At least, she thought it was from dancing. Hinata placed a hand on his chest and could feel his ehart pulsing under her hand through his white shirt. His blue eyes shone like beacons.

Of course, something or someone had to interrupt this moment. Haruno Sakura stormed over, her face knit in an expression of fury. "Who are you people?"

Naruto and Hinata jumped away from each other. Hinata swallowed hard. "Ms. Haruno…"

Gaara, Kiba and Iruka stood in a united front by Naruto. Naruto cleared his throat. "We're the Gang," he said simply, as if that explained everything. He could've said the Boy Scouts and that wouldn't have meant a thing.

Sakura's eyes widened so far that Hinata was certain they'd pop right out of their sockets. "The who?"

"No, the Who is a rock band out of England," Kiba corrected her, tongue-in-cheek. "We're a surf crew out of Manhattan Beach."

"A… _surf crew?_" If it was even possible, Sakura's eyes widened even farther. "I don't believe this! I'll give you exactly one minute to get…"

"Naruto! It's great you could make it." Sasuke's smooth baritone floated over as he made his way across the dance floor. He shook Naruto's hand. Hinata stifled a laugh at Sakura's new look of shock. The woman obviously fawned on Uchiha Sasuke, proud of his presence at her society function. Now, she'd been insulting what looked like his best friend!

"Sasuke," Naruto said, grinning. "I just thought that this place could use a little livening up."

"Good thinking," Sasuke said with a laugh, putting a casual arm around Hinata's shoulders. He smiled down at her. "You looked incredible out there. I didn't know you could dance like that."

Hinata blushed. "Another one of my party tricks," she said. The crew grinned at her. Haruno Sakura remained speechless.

"Hope you don't mind me dancing with your girl," Naruto said in an oddly neutral tone.

"I don't mind who she dances with," Sasuke said with ane asy smile. "After all, I'm the one who's taking her home." He gave Hinata a quick squeeze. "Which we can do now, by the way. Sakura, it's been a lovely party. Best one in ages, thanks to these guys."

"Ah, thank you, Sasuke." Sakura clearly looked dazed.

"Take care of my frends, will you? I promised this lovely lady I'd have her home early." Sasuke gazed down at Hinata. "Ready?"

She looked at the Gang. All the guys except Naruto were smiling broadly in approval. Naruto just looked off in the distance, a bored expression on his face.

Well, what was she expecting? A pleading look, begging her not to go?

Hinata looked up into Sasuke's smiling eyes. The most eligible bachelor in America wanted to take her home. And tonight, she was capable of anything.

"Home it is," she said, looping her arm through his. "I'll talk to you later, guys."

They whistled at her, making her exit with Sasuke a very public spectacle. Flashes went off, people applauded.

Hinata resisted sneaking a peek back at the guys as she and Sasuke finally walked out the door.

Half an hour later, she was still riding the emotional crest that had hit her at the Haruno Ball when Sasuke dropped her off at her house.

"I don't know how to thank you, Sasuke," Hinata murmured thoughtfully.

Sasuke smiled charmingly at her. "For what? You did me a favour remember?" He nudged her gently. "I've got to say, it's been a long time since I've had a date that lively." He grinned.

Hinata shook her head. "You don't understand." How could he? For the first time in her life, Hinata felt… beautiful. She didn't care wht other people thought, or said. She felt like a full-blooded _woman._ How could a man understand that a woman never forgot the first time she felt like that?

"All I know is, you were beautiful out there tonight. Youw ere a sensation." He surveyed her for a moment, silent. "So, here we are again. And it's not the first date."

Sasuke waited expectantly.

Hinata's post-party euphoria fled in a tiny burst of panic. Noow what she going to do?

Wait a minte. She'd been a goddess tonight. She was beautiful, confident, and capable of anything. Why shouldn't she try to see if Mr. Right was Sasuke, after all?

Hinata took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

After a second, Sasuke brushed his lips over hers.

Hinata waited.

_And felt nothing._

When it stopped, she opened her eyes. "So. That's it, huh?" she asked seriously.

Sasuke raised his eyebrow and laughed. "If you've got to ask, then I'm not doing it right." He dipped his face down to hers again and swooped her whole body low to the ground. Hinata momentarily saw bright lights above Sasuke as blood rushed ferociously to her brain.

This time, the kiss was more insistent with Sasuke sucking on her bottom lip. Sure Hinata felt dazed, but it's because of the sudden change in positioning. Still, the kiss to Hinata was more friendly than passionate.

All right, this just wasn't fair! She was being kissed by a prince charming who was available and apparently interested. And her heart rate barely rose, except for when he swooped her downward.

Sasuke pulled away, then studied her face.

Hinata tried to crack a smile, but it came out as a grimace. "I'm feeling… dizzy. It's been a long night," she quickly added.

"And an eventful one." Sasuke shrugged and up righted himself and Hinata. He gave her a lopsided grin that warmed her heart. "All right, pretty girl, I'm off. I'll call you this week if you want to do something."

"Okay." Did she want to see him this week? She had fun with him, but this was getting a little weird. She waved to him as he turned and walked to the gate.

Hinata walked up to her front door pensively. She didn't know what happened, and that was part of the problem. She didn't really have a lot of experience with men in the physical arena, btu she was prett sure that what had just happened wasn't a good indicator.

Good grief. Dead car batteries had mre spark than they'd manage to generate.

Hinata was just shutting the door behind her when she heard a rush of footsteps on the walkway. Praying it wasn't Sasuke again, she cautiously opened the door a crack.

Naruto gave her a breathless smile that gleamed in the moonlight. "Good," he huffed. "You're still up."

"What are you doing here?" Hinata asked, bewildered.

"Um…" He paused for a moment, a blank look on his face. "Would you believe I'm here to pick up the jacket I loaned you yesterday?"

Hinata quirked an eyebrow at him. "If it's the best you could come up with."

"Then that's what I'm here for."

"Come on in then," she said, opening the door for him. "I could use somebody to talk to."

Naruto walked in and sat down, groaning with relief. He surveyed her from head to toe, and sent her a warm but tired smile. "That's a pretty cool dress."

Hinata felt a little pulse of warmth shoot through her. "Thanks. I like it."

"You knocked 'em dead tonight."

"And I have you and the Gang to thank for it," she said in giggles as she remembered the look on Haruno Sakura's face. "So, did you decide you'd just had enough of the party, or did Sakura go ahead and kick you out?"

"I'd had enough. The guys are still there," Naruto added, grinning. "And Sakura tried to hire us as entertainment for her Christmas Gala." He laughed, tucking his tie into his jacket pocket as he undid the top button of his shirt. He took a deep breath. "God, I hate ties."

"I have no sympathy for you," Hinata scoffed, reaching awkwardly for the zipper on the back of her dress. After the disappointing episode with Sasuke, she could feel the energy of the evening sap out of her. "This whole outfit is like a tie from your neck to your knees, buddy. Not to mention the contraption I have to wear underneath. I feel like I need a team of scientists to get it on and off."

"Looks good, though."

Hinata wriggled uncomfortably, her sudden weariness making her fingers fumble. "Do me a favour and unzip me, will you?"

She turned in front of him and waited.

She thought for a moment that he must've fallen asleep on the couch. It seemed to take him forever to get up. Finally, he stood behind her. His breath warmed her nape, and she felt an odd shiver in her stomach.

"How'd you get into this?" he muttered, struggling with the zipper.

"Temari helped. She's got a degree in this sort of thing," Hinata whispered, then stopped on a quick exhalation. Naruto slowly unzipped the length of her dress…

**--**

**Squeals with anticipation!**

I know I've left many new drama scenes open, e.g.: What happened to Deidera and Neji?, What's the get up on Asuma's death? And Kurenai in love with Orochimaru and vice versa? Itachi's secret pining for Kurenai; and Kakashi's determination to get to the bottom of Asuma's suspicious death, even if it would cost Kurenai her life?

**Hmm… well, what do you guys think of this chapter? **

**FYI:** might have mild lemons ahead! But no vivid description or graphic images yet.

Yet.

Unless you don't want me to include.


	9. Chp 9: A “Date” with Hinata

**Chapter 9: A "Date" with Hinata**

**Author's Note: **Hmm… I'm feeling alive!! You know, it's not just you who are in suspense; me, as the author will always await for your loooong reviews!

Ann. O. Muus (first to review!), Elsie-neechan, LenKun, Neko-Youkai, BlueJx23 (I like how you relate the chapter title to me XP), Yumi Kitsuna Kazeyokai (no worries! I wasn't expecting myself to write Feminine Neji; the idea somehow struck XD), loujane14 (where have you been? T.T I was waiting for you to review in the last chapter, that's why I updated so late), H.L.F.K.S.K.T Kaoru, Ame no Megami, Yenni2110 (drama!), PiratePrincess, Hatake Megumi (hmm… I like chocolate chips and hokey-pokey ones), band geeks are hot (datey datey, huh? Hehe :-) ), Yuki Akira, Naruto3110, xXxUnPrEdIcTaBlExXx, VirtualxSimplicity, killjoy6000, bleachyum and lovinbishonenboysanyaoi !!

To be honest, I didn't mean to leave a cliffhanger… I was er… too tired to continue and sort of stopped there. tugs ponytail sheepishly And, Sakura will not be appearing in later chapters.

**Tiny Recap**

"Looks good, though."

Hinata wriggled uncomfortably, her sudden weariness making her fingers fumble. "Do me a favour and unzip me, will you?"

She turned in front of him and waited.

She thought for a moment that he must've fallen asleep on the couch. It seemed to take him forever to get up. Finally, he stood behind her. His breath warmed her nape, and she felt an odd shiver in her stomach.

"How'd you get into this?" he muttered, struggling with the zipper.

"Temari helped. She's got a degree in this sort of thing," Hinata whispered, then stopped on a quick exhalation. Naruto slowly unzipped the length of her dress…

--

Hinata was sure that the way the tip of his thumb brushed down the smooth skin between her shoulder blades were purely accidental. Still, Hinata felt her heart pulse, then double in speed, heat curling through her.

"That better?" Naruto leaned over her shoulder, studying her face for a second.

Hinata gulped and nodded quickly.

"Need help with anything else?"

She glanced over her shoulder and saw his gaze riveted to the back of her hooked bustier.

"Um, no." She bit her lip, confused by the sudden rush of blood racing through her. "I can manage from here."

Hinata bolted to her bedroom before Naruto could sense that rapid change that occurred in her breathing, in her body. There was no way he could have realized that her neck and back were two of the most sensitive spots on her body. They were erogenous zones in their own right, something that always embarrassed her. Naruto certainly hadn't done it on purpose.

She was confused enough right now. This is no time to indulge in some strange, adolescent crush on her best friend!

She quickly and awkwardly shed her clothes, dumping them in the dry-cleaning hamper. Hinata threw on a large T-shirt and flannel boxers, taking a deep breath before wandering back out.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Naruto asked. He'd grabbed a glass of water and was comfortably settling in.

She sighed, flopping down next to him on the couch. "I'm confused, Naruto."

"Confused about what, sunny?"

Hinata put her head back, staring at her white ceiling. "It was a lot simpler before this whole bet thing got started. I realty thought I was happy with my life."

"I know that one," Naruto said, groaning. "The next time I suggest something that dumb, just haul me out and hit me once."

"Well, it hasn't been all bad," she said, stretching a little. He put his arm along the back of the couch, and she rested her head on his bicep. "I mean, for probably the first time in my life, I felt _pretty_, Naruto. You have no idea what that's like. I have a long way to go, but… it was nice."

"You looked great, Hinata." Naruto's voice was deep and sincere.

"But then, I kissed Sasuke." Hinata sighed. "Now, I just wish I was still watching superbowl with the Gang, and wearing my baggy sweatshirts and jeans, and not worrying about finding Mr. Right because I know there's never going to be one."

Naruto stayed silent.

"But it's too late now," Hinata mused thoughtfully. "It's like I've opened Pandora's Box. I don't want to live like I used to, but I don't know what the heck I'm doing. I feel pretty tonight, but I don't want to keep being what somebody tells me to look like. Deidera tried to change me into something I wasn't." Hinata remembered how clueless Deidera was to her identity at the ball, and was secretly thankful of that.

Naruto still didn't say anything.

Finally, she looked over at him. "Are you asleep?"

He was very still, but his cerulean eyes were wide-open and piercing. "You kissed Sasuke?"

Hinata rolled her eyes. "Yeah. It wasn't a big deal. Let's just say it was a chemistry experiment."

His eyes bore into her. He was quiet for a moment, and then nodded, as if he'd decided something. "Are you seeing him tomorrow?"

"No," she answered, puzzled. "Why?"

"Sunny, I'm barely seeing you once a week. I feel like you've moved to Tahiti or something." He ran his fingers distractedly through his blonde hair. "I hate to admit it, but I miss you."

Hinata swallowed the lump forming in her throat. She smiled and moved her head to rest on his shoulder. Like a reflex, he curved his arm around her. He continued, "So I figured, if I have to start scheduling dates with my best friend, then that's what I'll do. Whatever it takes to keep our friendship, sunny."

Hinata sent him a sleepy giggle. "A date with Naruto," she mused, lulled by his warmth. Naruto rested his chin on top of her head, and she chuckled. "Hell has frozen over."

She felt his laughter reverberate through his chest, beneath her cheek. Hinata sleepily realized she was happy. She wanted to stay like this all night, this warmth curling through her, the deep sound of his breathing beneath her, her arms around him.

_So, invite him to spend the night._

Mmm.

Wait a minute, what was that?

Hinata immediately shot up, wide-awake, and got to her feet pronto. She was too tired if she could come up with an idea that preposterous. "I'm falling asleep here, Naruto," she said quickly. "Consider it a date. What do you want to do?"

Naruto smiled and stood next to her. How could she feel waves of heat coming off the man? She took a prudent step towards the door, but he followed her.

"There's a Raider game at eleven, which should give you plenty of time to sleep," he said, winking at her. "After that, I don't know. Maybe a video or something."

Now this was more familiar. "Do I get to pick the movie," she teased, "or is it going to be another testerone fest where we watch two lines of grunting dialogue and two hours of explosion?"

Naruto belted out a ringing laugh. "Fine. Be a girl. You can pick the movie, _and _I'll spring for dinner. Lentil curries chicken and kebabs, okay?"

"You know it's my favorite."

He rubbed the top of her head with his hand, rumpling her hair. "Groping, of course, is optional. I know you can't keep your hands off of me."

Hinata elbowed him in the ribs, gratified by the "oof" he let out. "Get out of here, you bum," she said, trying not to laugh. This was more normal.

Grateful at him for caring, Hinata leaned up to kiss Naruto, a quick, typical peck on the cheek. He must have had the same intention, since he was already leaning down toward her face. She just turned a little too fast.

His lips connected to hers like metal to lodestone, unerring a magnetic connection. Her eyes widened to see his eyes widened too, with just as much surprise.

Then, his eyes closed, and she was lost.

It couldn't have lasted more than a few seconds, but she felt his mouth move, his lips parted fractionally. Every nerve ending she had seemed to tingle to life. Hinata didn't mean to, but she felt her body lean forward, her head tilt back.

It was electric.

He must have felt the current jolt in him, because he jerked back, as if shocked from a socket. He blinked twice, then shrugged. "Um, good night, sunny."

"G'night." Hinata hurriedly closed the door behind him, locking the dead bolt. She peered through the peephole at his dark silhouette, strolling down her walkway. Then, on shaky legs, she went over to the kitchen and poured herself a tall glass of ice-cold water.

Okay. If that wasn't irony, she didn't know what was.

Legions of hormones had suddenly snapped to attention with one little, insignificant, accidental kiss. With Naruto, no less. How was that for dumb luck?

In theory, Sasuke was perfect, Naruto was pointless. Too bad her body thought otherwise.

_You have to go what works for you… not what people tell you to like._

Suddenly, she blinked.

_That's it!_

The advice rolled in her head like thunder.

When Hinata was younger, she'd been hesitant to go into fashion designing, thinking it too "girly" and obviously out of her realm. So, she'd let other people make those design decisions for her, and she'd ended up with stuff other people had told her to like. Hinata had never trusted her own instincts, until the dress tonight. The dress made her feel spectacular!

Hinata rushed to her design studio, tearing out a huge sketchpad and breaking into her carefully organized tackle box filled with coloured pens. She never felt comfortable in pastels, and she didn't like all those fragile, baby-doll designs. If she stuck with what _she _wanted, what could she come up with?

She tore into the paper, drawing hurriedly, all thought of Naruto, Sasuke, Kurenai, the Gang, and the girls gone.

It was brilliant, Hinata thought. And it was going to work.

**ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Naruto was vacuuming his house at 10 o'clock Sunday morning.

That was a strange-enough event. Ordinarily, he believed that Sunday mornings were meant for one thing, and one thing only: to sleep in, waking only to take in food or catch a football game. But his eyes had popped open at around six in the morning, and he could not get back to sleep.

Friend or not, he had a "date" with Hinata.

Not that it was a real date. He'd been very cautious about that, he assured himself, vacuuming around his coffee table. It was all part of a carefully laid-out plan. She'd come over, they'd indulge in all their favourite activities, and it would occur to her that she enjoyed her life just the way it used to be. She would remember how happy she was before she changed her look, before she met Sasuke, before Naruto had opened his big fat mouth and very nearly ruined his "perfect life." Then, she'd give up man-hunting for good, get back into her old clothes, and things would be just as they used to be.

Naruto sighed, shutting off the vacuum and grabbing a dust rag. If they could ever be just the way they used to be.

Last night had scared the hell out of him. He'd just about swallowed his tongue when he saw her standing there, a vision in red satin. She'd looked seductive and exotic, and he'd felt an involuntary tug of desire shoot through him before he reminded himself yet again of whom exactly she was. He'd had to repeat that little reminder over and over for the rest of the night.

When he saw her walking off with Sasuke, he'd been ready to strangle someone. He'd left immediately after, and gotten to her house with the misguided thought of "protecting" her. If Sasuke were half as hormonally driven as the average man, he'd tried anything possible to get Hinata into bed. Naruto knew that he sure would have.

_If I were Sasuke, that is_, Naruto quickly amended that phrase. He nervously dusted off his bookcase.

He was relieved when Sasuke wasn't in Hinata's house last night, but his relief turn to alarm when she asked him to unzip her, revealing all that smooth, creamy skin, and that sexy black bustier. He'd had to get himself a glass of water when she'd been in the other room. He'd almost fled then and there, but by then he'd come up with this crazy "date" plan. At this point, he'd be willing to dress in drag if he thought it might get things back the way they used to be.

He put away the vacuum cleaner and got out paper towels and glass cleaner, heading for his balcony doors. The problem was, as good an idea as this was, he wasn't sure if he could go through with it. His body was starting to boss around his mind, and his conscience… well frankly, his conscience was always about two minutes too late to be really useful.

He wanted Hinata.

That kiss had come out of the blue, just when he had gotten comfortable. It had sucker-punched him, and he couldn't flee the house quickly enough. He had thought maybe Hinata had looked dazed, but he hadn't stayed still long enough to really tell.

He'd well…, he'd never really considered her as dating material before. When they'd been younger, she was always that quiet girl who's itching to let loose. When he'd come back from college, she was still grieving over _that _guy, and he'd felt absurdly protective. He was also still raising hell, and instinctively knew that Hinata wasn't that type of woman. She had become his best friend because he could talk to her about things that were too deep to shared with the boys, too painful to discuss with his family (e.g. Kankuro's sudden announcement about going public with Neji etc.)

When his relationships had gone south, she was the first person he called. When he'd been given a branch from a his father's larger organization to manage on (sportswear company), she was there with a bouquet of cookies on lollipop sticks, of all things. She was the closest person to him on the face of the earth.

No way was he screwing that up because his body had temporarily disconnected itself from the brain. Dammit, it would be so much easier if she'd just stay safely shrouded in those baggy sweater, sweatshirts and jeans!

Naruto put away all his various cleaning supplies. He plumped up the pillows on his sofa with a vengeance, venting some of the frustration he was feeling. Then, he sat down heavily, sinking into the cushions.

Okay. Obviously, this strange attraction was something they both felt. He knew too much about women not to recognize the bemused look in her eyes and the quickening of her pulse. But he knew that was just because she hadn't really been kissed in years. She was fledgling, just stepping back out into the sensual world. The idea torched his desire even more, imagining what he could teach her.

Brutally, Naruto brought himself back into focus.

_One, _he thought. _She doesn't have these strange feelings about me, obviously, or she would have invited me to stay._

_Two, she is new to this sensual stuff. _That made her like a baby rattlesnake: twice as dangerous, because she didn't know about control, and didn't know her own power.

_Three, _he _did_ know how to control himself firmly, was not to touch her, not get close to her, not to do anything that might possibly be misconstrued as _anything._

"Naruto?" He heard Hinata's voice echo up his stairwell.

"Come on up," he said confidently. It was all good. He could handle it. He was back in control.

She stepped in, arms full of bags and two sketch pads. "Naruto, you have no idea what happened!"

He stared at her. "You're right. What happened?"

"It was inspiration!" Hinata dropped the sketchpads on his coffee table, opening them up. The drawings he saw were incredible, but it was fashion stuff. As far as he knew, all she'd ever produced were outstanding logos and corporate designs. These sketches had a vitality he'd never seen before in her work, though.

"Wow." Naruto flipped the pages. "These are incredible, sunny. What exactly happened?"

Hinata pointed. "I don't like bows, or frills, and I absolutely hate pastels," she said enthusiastically. "If I keep it minimal with a few shocking ones as a surprise, and comfortable, I can still look good!"

Naruto laughed at her vehemence. "This should be interesting to see."

"Wait! I can show you!" Hinata tore into one of the bags she had lugged up his stairs. He watched with amusement as clothes were suddenly strewn across his extraordinarily immaculate living room. "I dug out the old sewing machine I used in design school, for exhibit pieces and things, and made up a couple of samples."

He glanced around. There was a surprising amount of clothes spread out there. "What time did you finally go to bed?" he asked, picking up what he assumed was a skirt.

"Huh? Oh. I haven't been to bed yet. I just took a shower and changed into this before I left," Hinata said brightly.

She took off her shirt.

"Hey!" Naruto yelped. But before he could stop her, her jeans were unbuttoned and unzipped. They were halfway down her hips before he got to her. "What are you doing?!"

Hinata blinked at him. "I wanted to show you this outfit. I can't believe I of all people am saying this about clothes, but its **_viciously sexy_**. You gotta see it."

"No," he said patiently, trying desperately to stop the blood that had rushed uncomfortably between his legs. **Seeing her in a plain white bra and matching panties were viciously sexy enough, thanks very much!** "I mean, why don't you change in the bathroom?"

Hinata laughed. "Have you seen how many outfits I brought over? It would take way too long." Hinata kicked off her jeans and grabbed for a small royal blue number. "Now, where's the top for this?"

She was killing him, Naruto thought, a protest strangling in his throat.

Oh, this had been such a very, **_very_** bad idea.

* * *

**Heh! Oh, my! Naruto seemed about to burst… :-P**


	10. Chp 10: Naruto's Smarting Pride

**Chapter 10: Naruto's Smarting Pride**

**Author's Notes:** STOP!Go Over the previous chapter again! To build up the tension and anticipation before crashing into this chapter.

-Patiently waits for readers to decide- Okay!

OMG! I've finally arrived at a double-digit chapter!!

So sorry for updating so late! I promise after this week, I'll update every Friday until it eventually ends. Exams are finally over! But I have to look for a job soon. Phweee, advertising is such a hassle, but I hope there are results… I'm suppose to be packing, cuz I'm moving tomorrow… Ah, well. (I owe to you guys that much, dear readers.)

Anyyyyways,a big cheerful hug to all of you! I really do apologise for the late update, but if you did check out my profile, I have a legible reason. bows

LenKun (you were the first to review this chappie!!), firegoat, I like angst, Newbie GK, Hikaru, Ame no Megami, Elsie-neechan (you're ain't a fool to be romantic :0), 7Katara7 (Wow! I love you! And er… don't try what Hinata's doing now to the hot-blooded Naruto… things might go out of hand), encyser (heh, you reminded me to warn the readers that this fic might go up to M-RATED! Beware), lovinbishonenboysanyaoi (I don't really know how to describe designs but the descriptions give ideas and imaginations to run: -P), Yenni2110, BlueJx23 (actually, two heads are in this fic), trey, killjoy6000 (I want to tip people off balance:P), loujane14 (wow! You're like reporting my chapter summary to the audience. Such suave! And you blared the 'pervert alert' 3 times!), bleachyum (guess what? I'm beginning to adore your name, cuz I'm currently hooked on Bleach and DID YOU SAY COOKIES?! WHAT FLAVOUR?), Obnoxiouslyfunny, Hatake Megumi (Oh, my! You keep feeding me sweeties! I'll probably get a toothache), Tarnee (Aaw, wake up and continue reading:P), Mystical-Dreamer57 (you finally re-appeared!), Tater-Chan, kingleby, AND evelsaint93.

You guys are just wonderful, delightful and lovely-filled!

* * *

**Tiny Recap**

She took off her shirt.

"Hey!" Naruto yelped. But before he could stop her, her jeans were unbuttoned and unzipped. They were halfway down her hips before he got to her. "What are you doing?!"

Hinata blinked at him. "I wanted to show you this outfit. I can't believe I of all people am saying this about clothes, but its **_viciously sexy_**. You gotta see it."

"No," he said patiently, trying desperately to stop the blood that had rushed uncomfortably between his legs. Seeing her in a plain white bra and matching panties were viciously sexy enough, thanks very much! "I mean, why don't you change in the bathroom?"

Hinata laughed. "Have you seen how many outfits I brought over? It would take way too long." Hinata kicked off her jeans and grabbed for a small royal blue number. "Now, where's the top for this?"

She was killing him, Naruto thought, a protest strangling in his throat.

Oh, this had been such a very, **_very_** bad idea.

--

Hinata shimmied into the skirt and top. "Now. What do you think of this?" She did a sensually slow turn which almost made Naruto drool (as he had his mouth open all this while). She chortled at his expression and oblivious to his _real_ thoughts, said casually, "You'll have to imagine the heels, of course, and the cloth is some stuff I was using for color studies for a big exhibit piece I was working on. But it gives the idea."

It gave the idea pretty well, Naruto thought. It wasn't too revealing, but it emphasized her legs and gave a good display of her chest. The color made her skin glow as if she was painted by Rembrandt.

"Very… very nice," he stammered, uncertain of his voice.

"Wait! Wait. I've got a better one in here. Where did I put that?" Hinata tore the bags again, and he prayed for strength. She started to drop the skirt again and peel off the top.

"Okay, why don't we dump all this stuff in the bathroom, Sunny?" he said, collecting strewn articles of clothes and averting his eyes. **This was more than any red-blooded man could take!**

"Naru, you're holding the dress I wanted to show you…"

"You know, you're not in any frame of mind for a fashion show," he said hurriedly, still not looking at her. _Remain clam. We can talk her out of this. _"I think you're really on the right track with what you've shown me, but you know me. I'm not any real judge of fashion."

"Naruto," Hinata reminded him, "you're the vice-president (or president? I can't remember! O.o) of a sportswear company."

"Oh." Naruto mumbled. She would have to point out the obvious. "I mean, women's fashions."

"Don't you have a woman's line, too?"

"On _you_, I mean," Naruto said, finally turning around. He wished he hadn't.

It was more than a quick glimpse of underwear this time. Hinata was standing there, practically tapping her foot with impatience; her cotton panties were bikinis cut high on her thighs. Her arms were crossed, and one bra strap was hanging down on her shoulder. Precariously.

She looked brutally hot.

Desire hit him like a tidal wave.

"You're humouring me, aren't you?" Hinata said, eyes narrowed.

It took him 2 seconds to form a coherent sentence. "No, I'm not."

She brightened. "Good. Then hand me that deep purple dress you've got in your left hand."

"Hinata, I _really _think you ought to go change in the other room."

"Why?" she said. "You're just my friend, and there's nothing on me you haven't seen before on someone else."

Naruto sat down. She summed it all up: he was just her friend. Obviously, she wasn't having no problem drawing that line. If she was okay with it, then why shouldn't he be? He'd seen plenty of gorgeous babes wearing much less than Hinata had on.

But he'd never had these kinds on restraints on himself, either.

He sat on his couch, trying not to squirm, or even breathe, as she slipped in and out of design after design. _You're driving me crazy, Hinata._

The worst part of her performance, though, was her little quick changes… a flash of toned muscle, a curve of breast being exposed and then covered by a soft hiss of material. He was being drawn on a rack of self-control, and Hinata had absolutely no concept of what she's doing to him.

Finally, she got through her last sample and slipped back into her jeans and shirt. He felt as if he was bathed in sweat. His heart was beating and thumping painfully at his ribs, as if he'd run a strenuous 5-kilometer marathon without stopping.

"So? What did you think?" the darling angel asked eagerly.

What did he think? He thought she'd shaved ten years off his life with that sensual torture, that's what! "I thought… it was very nice."

"Nice?" She frowned at him, her eyebrows knitted together. "I'm looking for devastating here. Come on, Naruto!"

"Fine," he said, sighing deeply. "You were incredible. You would make a Buddhist monk pant like a dog. If God had made anything better, he'd have kept it for himself. Now, are you satisfied?" Naruto knew he sounded testy, but he couldn't help it. She was just throwing salt on a wound here!

Hinata smiled. "Pant like a dog, huh?"

He sighed. "You're too much, Sunny."

"That's what I wanted to hear." She yawned deeply and settled on his couch, next to him. Her eyes were heavy-lidded.

Naruto smiled tenderly. Now that she was fully dressed again, with no makeup, he felt a little more charitable towards her. She was really cute when she was sleepy like this. She didn't look dangerous at all.

"You're my best friend, Naruto. Without you, I couldn't have come this far. I owe all this to you."

He said softly as she continued to murmur incoherently, "You don't owe anything to me." He watched her drift off into sleep. "You did this all by yourself."

* * *

Hours later, Naruto woke up in a darkened room. _Oh man!_ _I fell asleep._

Naruto stretched and started to turn over when his hand fell on a soft, curvy body. Illuminated by his glow-in-the-dark clock, Hinata was sprawled on the couch next to him. He yanked his hand away.

Naruto smiled. He'd done it. He had spent the whole day with her, doing all of their favourite stuff. Despite the torturous start, he'd managed to keep his hands off her all day long. It was perfect. From here on, it was going to be clear sailing.

She was easily startled, so he gave her shoulders a gentle rub. "Wake up, kiddo."

"Oh," she gasped.

His fingers stopped immediately. "Did that hurt?"

Hinata let out a breathy, half-asleep sigh. "No."

"You nut. You shouldn't have been sewing all night." He increased the pressure, smiling at her groans.

"Oh," she breathed again, sharper this time, bowing her back slightly to press against his fingers.

Naruto looked down to see her body starting to writhe a little on the couch. Her long legs stretched, and her back arched like a cat's.

It was turning him on.

Before he could move, Hinata reached up and looped her arms around his neck. Before he could think, she had tugged his head down to hers. By the time he figured out what was going on, he wanted to neither move or think.

It started out gentle, almost tentatively, her lips brushing against his with a whispery caress. He could feel her breathe his name against his lips, and it shot fire from his stomach to his groin. He was struggling with control when she gave him a purring growl and locked more firmly onto his lips.

Whatever control he had left disappeared. He slanted over her mouth, pushing her back into the pillows. Hinata sighed and he could feel a shivery tremor rush through her body. He supported his weight on his arms, half-covering her body with his own. He could feel her nipples through the thin T-shirt fabric, rubbing against his chest. He let out a growl as his tongue swept past her satiny lips.

Naruto heard her inhale sharply before she arched up to rub against him, her tongue dueling with his. Leaning on one arm, he used the other to stroke down the length of her side. His fingers skimmed the column of her neck and she quivered and cried out against his mouth.

His kisses grew more insistent as he gently stroke down the side of one smooth, firm breast. She pressed up against him until he was cupping her fully. He brushed a fingertip over a taut nipple, and she arched up, fitting herself to him with a heated passion that made him gasp.

It was intense. It was intoxicating. It was out of control.

His heart was beating so strongly, he could hear it pounding in his ears like a war drum, a thrill that warranted him to conquer and dominate.

_Dee –do! Dee-do! Deeee-do0!_

"Naruto, ARE YOU IN THERE?"

Naruto was beginning to swore, but his eyes suddenly interlocked with Hinata's round ones.

"Come on. We know you're home." It sounded like Kiba. "Don't make us break in there!"

The words sent Naruto rolling off Hinata and hurriedly get to his feet. They were both still breathing heavily. "Don't move," he told her, and went downstairs.

Naruto threw open the door. "_What?"_

Kiba, Iruka and Gaara were standing at his doorstep.

"Jeez, man. We wanted to let you know the surf's up to eight feet. It's perfect out," Iruka said, gesturing towards the beach. "You coming?"

"You nearly broke my door down to tell me _the surf was up?!"_

"Of course," Kiba said, rolling his eyes. "What's wrong with you?"

Iruka studied him for a second, then grinned. "Whoops. I sense bad timing here… if your jeans are any indication."

"Get lost." Naruto growled.

"Really sorry, man," Kiba said, quickly backing away. "Really. Do what you've gotta do."

Iruka started laughing, but Gaara looked down at Naruto's driveway and looked back at him, eyes narrowed.

"You sure everything's okay, bro?" Gaara asked quietly.

"It will be when you clowns get out of here."

Naruto closed the door, locked it and ran back upstairs. Hinata was shoving her pell-mell explosion of clothes into the bags she packed them in, and was tucking her sketch pads under her arms. "You know," she said hastily, avoiding his eyes. "I think I'll take a rain check on the pizza."

"Hinata, about what happened…"

"I'll take the blame for that one," she said quietly. "I guess I was just tired, or dreaming, or something. I need to um… do some chores. You know. Around the house."

One minute she's burning him alive, and now all she could think about was tackling household chores?

Hinata took a deep, quavering breath. "I didn't mean for… what just happened to happen. You've got to believe that. We've been friends for so long, I hope you'll overlook it as I'm just really out of practice with this physical stuff." She finally looked at him. "I know it didn't mean anything."

_It didn't mean anything_. The sentence echoed endlessly in Naruto's mind.

"I'm going to head out, and we'll just pretend that this never happened. Okay?"

Naruto nodded.

Hinata sent him a lopsided smile. She got up on tiptoe and looked as if she was about to kiss his cheek, then changed her mind. She walked instead to the front door. Naruto trailed behind her, puzzled.

"See you," she said as he opened the door for her.

"I'll give you a call."

Naruto watched her load hr car, then drive off.

He shut the door, locked it again and went back upstairs. He sat on the couch for a moment.

She'd left. He'd been kissing the daylights out of her, and she'd just… left.

Naruto realized, of course, that he should be happy about what had happened. He'd been telling himself that getting physically involved with Hinata would mean problems, like jeopardizing the friendship. It would be disastrous; it would be Armageddon. And despite telling himself all of that, he'd let himself get into a passionate clinch with her, anyway, right there on his couch.

And then, she'd gotten up, told him to forget anything that ever happened, and **_left!_**

This had never happened to him before.

Not that his kisses were irresistible. It was… well, okay, yes, his pride was smarting at that one. But the fact that she could obviously write off what had happened as the over functioning of long dormant hormones! It _hurt, _dammit!

Naruto got up, went over to the fridge and pulled out a beer. He popped off the lid and took a long draw.

She was probably right, he reasoned. Things would be just the way they used to be if they pretended the kisses and caresses hadn't happened, right? He wouldn't have to worry about losing her ever again. In a weird, roundabout way, his "date" had gone just as planned.

Naruto sighed and drowned the rest of his beer.

_Dammit, why am I not feeling any better?

* * *

_

**What did'ya think?**

**Sorry if there are many spelling errors. I was too eager and got it posted up right away.**

**Please review, dear readers!**


	11. Chp 11: “That Idiot Brother of Mine”

**As promised, a chapter. :)**

Chapter 11: "That Idiot Brother of Mine"

"Hello?"

"HINA! OH. MY. GOSH. Remember me dragging Deidera on the leash at the Haruno Ball?"

It took Hinata a while to register that the voice was Neji's and grasp on what he's saying. She replied incredulously. "What did you do to him?" Feeling suspicious of Neji's hidden agenda, what took her by surprise was his willingness to exact revenge on her ex-boyfriend. Hinata would thank Neji later, but right now, she had to make sure Neji didn't murder him and stash his body in her cramp storeroom.

"Feh. I broke his spirit and chopped him into little pieces."

Hinata bolted up right. "N-Neji!"

"I'm just kidding, sweetie. But I bet he won't look at women the same way again!" Neji cackled evilly.

Hinata sweat dropped. "Er… thanks, Neji."

"No worries, cousin. Oh! I'm going shopping with Temari. Wanna come?"

"No thanks." _I'm designing my own clothing line. _

Hinata blushed as she remembered the day at Naruto's house.

_Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid._

Hinata stared at her phone. She couldn't bring herself to call Temari, telling her that she couldn't come to her housewarming this afternoon.. What's worse, she'd hit a dead end on explanations.

"Hi, Temari. I can't show up because I know Naruto would be there, and I've been avoiding him for a solid week. Why? Because I've shut my brain off, I was half-asleep and I basically attacked him like Amazon Xena on his own couch," Hinata tried experimentally, then stuffed her head in her pillow. "I am so _stupid_!"

She hadn't been thinking at all, that night on Naruto's couch. She certainly hadn't gone there to seduce him.

An image of the kiss flashed across her mind. I mages like that had haunted her all week. It hit her in the middle of conversations at work, or when she was grocery shopping, or when she was trying to draw. Or at night, before she fell into fitful, restless sleep.

It was worst at night.

Hinata sighed deeply. _I wanted more than a friendship with him_, Hinata realized numbly.

_I'm in love with him._

Admittedly, she _was_ in denial. Hinata was in love with Naruto, her best friend for a long time now. She had no confidence then, and thought that their friendship would suffice. In fact, there were times when she felt that his friendship was more than she deserved. But now, with her growing self-awareness, it occurred to her that marriage, family, happily0ever-after were real possibilities.

That is, they were possibilities with men in general. But she wanted Naruto in specific, and that was where the problem was.

Naruto could date any woman he wanted. Self-admittedly, his life was "perfect". No, he wouldn't want to throw that all away. _He'll never been in love with me._

_And that's it?_ Her conscious sounded indignant. _Why should **you**_ _be the one to simper and sigh, and wait for him to come to his senses?_

_I'm pretty and confident, dammit. I have options!_

Hinata felt galvanized. _Deidera had to take a complete once-over to look at me! Hah! _She grabbed her purse, digging for a slip of paper, and then reached for her phone.

"Hi, Sasuke?" Hinata smiled, looking at an outfit she had just finished in her closet. "It's Hinata. I was wondering… do you think you'd like to go to a housewarming party this afternoon?"

* * *

Naruto had been sitting on his sister's couch, trying to get up the energy to socialize. He was in too bleak a mood since the episode with Hinata to be very good company.

She'd been avoiding him again, and that was bothering him. They'd talk on the phone a couple of times, but she'd been distant, and he hadn't been able to get her to spill on what was going on. Obviously, something was upsetting her, but she wouldn't share what.

_She should have been here by now_, Naruto thought. He had considered missing Temari's housewarming party, but the lure of finally being able to talk to Hinata face-to-face had convinced him otherwise. Naruto thought she'd probably felt awful about last Sunday. She had been embarrassed and possibly ashamed at her behavior. She'd even admitted how out of practice she was, as if it was some horrible crime. And all he could do was sit back and take it personally!

Well, he'd straighten her out, Naruto thought, brightening. Granted, they couldn't do it again, but there was absolutely nothing wrong with a few kisses between friends.

_Yeah, right. That's why you've been a hermit since the whole bet started._

_Shut up, conscience, _Naruto warned. _I don't need your input right now._

He'd cheer her up and they'd go on as usual.

"Hinata!" Temari went running to the front door, throwing it open and enveloped Hinata in a huge hug. "I knew you'd look like a Goddess! I knew you were in Neji and Kankuro's capable hands-"

"Temari," Hinata interrupted her usual stream of patter firmly. "I'd like you to meet my friend, Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuke, this is Uzumaki Temari… that is Nara Temari, now that she's married."

"Congratulations," Sasuke's deep voice emerged from behind her, and Naruto's eyes shot wide-open. "I've heard so much about you! How's Hawaii?"

Uchiha Sasuke was here? With Hinata? What was _that_ about?

"Oh, just beautiful," Temari said, linking her arms through his. "I'm sorry to have been gone so long and missed all the fun. Hinata and I haven't been able to talk about _you_ nearly enough for my liking," she glanced over at Hinata, a huge grin on her face.

"Well," Sasuke said with a matching grin, "I should be around for a while, so hopefully you can remedy the situation."

Temari laughed, leading the couple to the kitchen. "Can I get you a drink?"

Great, Naruto thought. Apparently, one of them had managed to put last Sunday behind them as if it were nothing… and it wasn't him.

He got up and slowly made his way to the door of the kitchen, hovering just outside it, by the foyer.

"So, this is your new house?" he heard Sasuke say.

"This is home sweet home," his sister replied. "Shika-dear, why don't you give Sasuke the grand tour? Hinata's already seen the house, and she and I need to catch up on some girl talk."

Naruto ducked behind the coat rack, waiting for Sasuke and Shikamaru to disappear down the hallway before resuming his eavesdropping. He knew he shouldn't, but Hinata wasn't going to tell him what was going on, and as her best friend, he really had a right to know. At east, that was the justification he was planning on using if he got caught.

"Oh, my God! He is so _gorgeous_." Temari said.

Neji's voice chimed in. "Didn't I tell you?"

"Yes, but it's hard to see exactly how gorgeous he is until he's standing right next to you. A firebomb, and that smile! You could tan by that smile!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. If Sasuke had won Temari's gushing vote of approval, the guy was in for some pressure.

"I love his eyes," Neji cooed dreamily. "That chocolate-y, yummy cocoa. Although I love Kankuro's adoring, ravenous-"

"What's your favourite part of him, Hinata?" Temari's voice was amused. "Or can't you tell us?"

Before Naruto could get really irate at that comment, Hinata broke in firmly. "My favourite part of Sasuke is that he's sweet and doesn't push me into anything. Unlike you two."

That's my girl, Naruto thought, mentally cheering her on. _You tell 'em!_

"Oh, come on, honey," Temari said, brushing her remark aside. "It wasn't like we put a gun to your head and forced you to take that bet with Naruto, you know. You got into it all on your own. But no matter how you go there, Sasuke's the sweetest, best-looking date you've ever landed. If we're just trying to encourage you, what's the problem?"

Hinata didn't say anything, and Naruto strained to hear her response, hoping to finally figure out what was going on.

"I just… I don't want to talk about it. I can't talk about it."

Naruto gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Hinata? What's wrong?" Neji's voice was concerned. "You've gone all white!"

Naruto started to take a step forward. _Sick? Was Hinata…_

"No, it's nothing. I haven't been sleeping well," Hinata said, and the little irritation in her voice comforted him. If there were something wrong with her medically, she'd have said something. Look how her father ended up after keeping his medical illness a secret so as not to 'worry' his family. Hinata's learning a lesson there. So, what was it? "And I sort of skipped breakfast. I ahven't been that hungry lately."

"Well, we'll gotta get you some food, first off," Temari said, switching into maternal mode. "You know wht it sounds like? It sounds like you're in love."

_In love?_

_**Hinata, in love with that pretty-boy Sasuke?**_

"Is Naruto here yet?" Hinata asked instead, and Temari laughed.

"Fine. If you want to change the subject."

Neji drawled, "If I know Naruto, he's probably camped out in Shikamaru's AV room, watching some sports event. And no, you can't go find him," he said firmly.

"Honestly, Hina-dear, what kind of an impression are you going to make with that idiot brother of mine?" Temari added.

Naruto sighed. He was having enough problems with Hinata. Trust his sister and Neji to make problems even worse!

"I wasn't going to watch sports, and Sasuke likes me just fine," Hinata said, absently. "I just wondered if Naruto was here. I haven't talked to him in like a week."

The room fell silent for a second.

"Okay, what's wrong?" Temari's voice cracked with worry.

"What do you mean?"

"If you're not watching sports, and you're not talking to Naruto, it's an instant code red," Temari explained. "What's going on?"

Naruto leaned forward intently.

"You're not eating, you're not sleeping, and you're… wait a minute," Neji said, slowly.

"You're not pregnant, are you?"

* * *

**Aww… You guys don't need me to say it! You already know the answer! XP**

**I was wondering if I have any male readers. I can't tell your gender by usernames, because it can be so… ambiguous. I figured I probably had a few…**

**Thanks for reviewing, guys… and gals! I feel Loved! Check out my profile under the Cinderella pics section to see what inspired me to create this story. It's an amazing picture of Hinata and Naruto.**

LenKun: You reviewed first without reading the chapter. That's totally new. :P But thanks for PM-ing me after wards to tell me your real review.

ElissaWolf: Why are you squeaking your rubber-ducky? …

Elsie-neechan: Aw, you're always so sweet. Take care, too!

Hikaru: Heh. I presumed you enjoyed it. :P

BlueJx23: Save your long one for chapters you think calls for it. brightens Why don't you save the loooong review for the epilogue?

loujane14: Now, that has to be the longest review for this chapter. I have a legible reason for not updating soon enough. I know this friendship thing dragged on for the longest time, but if they weren't so in denial, the story would end rather abruptly and you wouldn't want the story to end so soon, right? Thank you for praying for me. :-)

Angst: And about ratings… it started out so innocently from K+ to T to M (in later future chapters) and will definitely go back down to K+ again at the end where they live happily ever after. I mean, I like good endings. I mean, happy ones.

lovinbishonenboysanyaoi: Well, if Gaara can't have Hinata, there's still Hanabi. :P

kingleby: Heh. Naruto's behaving like any hot-blooded guy face with a forbidden fruit.

Briana: I will definitely finish this fic by next February and then delete the story after a few years. Bwaahahah.

Lori: Wow! Thanks for your review! The 'pure genius' part caught me by surprise.

VirtualxSimplicity: It's rather relevant. Thanks for letting me in on your opinion.

Hatake Megumi: No sweets? **face aghast- And **only one cookie?! Your review is most welcome.

killjoy6000: munches on cookie Well, Hinata finally realizes her own feelings!

H.L.F.K.S.K.T Kaoru: Most people seem to side with Naruto… Did I make him suffer too much? XP

Serenitymellenium: I was actually a strong fan of Hinata/Anyone except NaruHina. Writing the story first was difficult as I toyed with her going for Gaara and not Naruto. But after I've reluctantly decided, I seem to develop a fondness for the pairing and that beautiful picture kept me going on to write about their relationship together. :)

Tarnee: Hmm.. I'll put up your question in the next chapter. Not this chapter yet. I have my own reasons, unless any inquisitive **males** decided to read your review and answer me through a review or PM. :P

the16thday: Yay! I'm Faved and Alerted!

Firegoat: Hey! I remembered you from my last chapter! How'd you doing? And Gaara does have a sneaky suspicion of who's with Naruto at that time. You'll see.

Tater-chan: I like it when you said 'He's horny again'. Did I answer your question in this chapter?

Mystical-Dreamer57: LOL! It seemed to be reverse, aye? Hinata's the hunter now and Naruto's the prey. He'll still have all his parts. :P

missnina: Wonderful! You reviewed!

Kelly: The next chapter would be even more spell-binding!

**I'm sorry I this is not much of a chapter, because when I wrote this, I was rushed… and a few people felt my story would still be going great without the lemons. Just be foretold that there will be some parts and a whole chapter written for "pleasures". It is rather necessary to depict how broken Hinata feel after… um… shouldn't be uncovering future events now.**

**Till next time!**


	12. Chp 12: He Wants You

**Author's Note: I might not be able to update for the next 3 weeks (starting Thursday - which is tomorrow). Going away on holiday, although I'm not very excited about it. So.**

**Hah-ha! A chapter much earlier than promised. :)**

**Thanks you, dear readers and reviewers!**

Newbie GK (You're first!),

fumoko (that's not much of a cliffie, but it's a turning point where I can twist it whatever way I want :O),

BlueJx23 (You think:D),

Elsie-neechan,

Endolphins (Wow! I'm flattered. :D),

7Katara7 (secret's not out yet :P),

LenKun (really. That's not much of a cliffie, I assure you.),

Kuroda (LOVE!),

ElissaWolf (Yay!),

Shy-Princess (you are one of a kind :P),

Yenni2110 (:( They won't be appearing much, cuz it would be much better described in another story. Thanks for your enthusiastic review! - and Orochimaru is just a sick, twisted soul. o.o),

lovinbishonenboysanyaoi (DOn't you love me for updating so quick:P),

Tater-Chan (Aww.. This chappie will steam off your tears!),

JSai (nope, I don't mind. I sort of expected it. But tell me... in PM or whatever - nudge- how good is a really good grade?),

kingleby :)

Kelly (now, now, no violence. I wouldn't want to beat up nice Sasuke),

draw.62121 (your review stands out by far; the usage of spaces and repetitive words... I was pleasantly surprised :)),

bleachyum,

encyser (thanks for explaining!),

Tarnee (well, now you know),

killjoy6000 (okay, I can't read short-hand well but yay! Thanks for reviewing ),

Demo-san (I know, Neji's gay; didn't really intent on it, but it was on impulse :P)

Hatake Megumi : (Christmas is all around! The holiday spirit is unleashed and we all get to enjoy little bags of treats! -throws confetti onto everyone-)

**:D**

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**Chapter 12: He Wants You**

"You're not pregnant, are you?"

Naruto knocked over the coat rack. He caught it just before it hit the floor, but crucially in time to hear Hinata's response.

"What? No!" She spluttered.

"Are you sure?"

"Unless you can get pregnant by a handshake and a casual goodnight kiss, yes, I'm positive." Neji handed Hinata a paper towel to wipe the wet spots on her tee.

Naruto began to breathe again. He didn't mean to feel relief that Hinata did not slept with Sasuke, but it was a weight off his chest.

"Hinata!" Shikamaru called. "Please come over here for a sec and explain to Sasuke how'd you skillfully construct our wedding present. (it was an oil painting)."

"Okay!" Hinata dabbed the front of her tee quickly, balled up the paper towel in her fist and hurried to the hallway.

"Naruto, you can come out from there now."

Naruto gulped. He wore a sheepish smile as he came out from his hiding place to meet with the arms-akimbo Temari and the surprisingly normal-looking Neji sans makeup.

"What were you doing eavesdropping on our girl talk?"

Naruto licked his lips and constructed his sentence carefully. "I was worried about Hin-"

"I have an idea," Neji unperturbedly interrupted. "Instead of interrogating Naruto, let's discuss the fact that my cousin sister is hell lot of closer to winning the bet," Neji drawled, with a smug grin on his angular face.

"Sasuke is the catch of the century," Temari said, her voice similarly smug.

Naruto gritted his teeth. "I'd say you two need to stop pushing her," he said harshly. Neji and Temari widened their eyes.

"We're not pushing her," Temari protested. "We're just -"

"You're pushing her. You've never been happy with her the way she is, and now she's changing to please you." Naruto frowned. He was afraid she'd change for good. "I'm glad she had more self-confidence. Who wouldn't be? But she doesn't need you two nudging her into a relationship she's not ready for."

Temari looked stricken, but Neji's eyes snapped. "She can handle a lot more than you think she can."

"She's a lot more fragile than you think she is," Naruto countered, his voice more gentle. "Trust me. I know. I've hurt her enough. So all I'm saying is, go easy on her, will you?"

Temari nodded. "All right. You know I don't want to hurt Hinata, ever."

"Of course we don't," Neji finally said, sighing. "Well, all right, Naruto, but I don't think it's because of us pushing this time. She seems very involved with Sasuke."

* * *

Temari and Shikamaru's house was filled with their friends, neighbours and co-workers. Temari was being a wonderful hostess, making sure that everyone feels welcomed. Neji, on the other hand, were surrounded with fans (mostly female) and camera flashes. Later, Kankuro came, which adds another eye-candy for the ladies. Everyone who reads the gossip papers know that these two are going out, but isn't it a woman's secret desire to change a hunk's sexual orientation, so that he'll be smitten with her instead? 

Hanabi came in later, sporting an immaculate appearance as always but with a hint of tiredness in her eyes. Hinata waved cheerfully at her whilst Hanabi bodily-grabbed Gaara and pointed at Hinata and Sasuke's direction.

Hinata wondered what are those two thinking. Shrugging it off, she resumed conversation with her pal, Sasuke.

"This has been great, Hinata," Sasuke gave her a brilliant smile. "I must say your cousin brother has relieved some of the social pressure I get from the ladies."

Hinata grinned. "Oh, you don't know the half of it."

Sasuke's smile eased and he settled back onto the couch, automatically draping an arm over the couch. "You've got really nice group of friends. They're like a family. They make me miss my own actually."

Hinata opened her mouth ask, but Sasuke waved it away. He sighed. "They can be sort of pushy you know, but they love you, you know?"

Hinata's eyes widened. "You could tell that after just a couple of hours?"

Sasuke laughed. "I was talking about _my_ family, Hinata. They're always pushing me to get married, because they've given up hope for Itachi to ever settle down. That kind of thing."

Hinata squeezed his hand gently. "I know exactly what you mean."

"One of these days, I think I'm going to up and elope with somebody, just to get them off my back and get on with my life."

Hinata smiled.

"Hinata," Sasuke said, his eyes turning more serious, "have you ever – "

"Excuse me."

Hinata turned to see Naruto hovering right next to her. "Naruto?"

"Hi. Sasuke, do you mind if I steal Hinata for a minute? I need to talk to her about something sort of private."

Hinata's eyes widened for the second time., but Sasuke just nodded. "Um, sure. Go ahead."

Hinata frowned at Naruto. "I'm sure it's nothing that can't wait…"

"Actually, I have to talk to you right _now_." With that, Naruto tugged her arm and started to pull her though the throng of people and into the semi-deserted hallway.

"What are you doing?" She demanded.

"Saving your butt," Naruto said, his head craning around. "Temari's got this place filled to the rafters with people, and I need to talk to you in private. Where's… Here we go. Come on." He opened a door and led her down the cellar stairs.

Hinata sighed, frustrated. "This had better be good." She glanced around the darkened room; the air was damp and cool, smelling faintly of lemony detergent.

"Did you hear the line the guy was running on you?" Naruto said, pulling the hanging cord of the light bulb, turning the light on. "You're lucky I pulled you away when I did."

She blinked in disbelief. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. That guy was going to make his move." Naruto grinned in smug satisfaction. "Little did he know, huh? You wouldn't buy a bunch of sugarcoated lies with marriage and stuff."

"What makes you think he'd be lying?" Hinata said, anger making her voice sharp. "If he _had_ been making a move, so what? It's about time somebody else did."

"Are you kidding me?" His own voice tinged with anger. "Oh, that's rich. Here I am protecting you from a complete leech, and all you can do is give me static about it?"

"Protecting me?" Hinata rolled her eyes. "Please! How many times do I have to tell you – I can take care of myself. I am a full-grown full-fledged woman who is perfectly able of handling a man who has more on his mind than some casual kissing."

"Really?" Naruto's voice was sarcastic. "Funny, I seem to remember a certain 'full-fledged' woman getting distinctly flustered when she found herself just kissing a guy on his couch. I seem to remember her exact words were that she had been 'really out of practice with this physical stuff'." His blue eyes were hot as gunmetal. "Or did I just imagine that?"

Hinata clenched her fists. "I _am_ out of practice. Sasuke could be a perfect way to help me get back into the game."

"Like hell," Naruto growled. "Hinata, no matter what you think, you don't know what you're getting into. You're way over your head. You don't even know this guy!"

"I do, too, know Sasuke!"

"After what? Two weeks?" Naruto took a step closer to her, his eyes blazing. "So tell me. What's Sasuke's favourite sport? His favourite movie? His favourite flavor of ice cream?"

Hinata stepped toe to toe with him. "He's not a sports fanatic like you, but he'll catch the occasional baseball game. His favourite movie is _Spartacus_ and favourite flavor of ice cream is the same as yours. Mint chocolate chip."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I don't suppose you could tell me how hw is in bed."

Hinata gaped, her heart jolting painfully. "How dare you!"

"Of course, you can't compare us there." Naruto smiled coldly. "Maybe I can give you a hint though on what I prefer. So you'll know if Sasuke likes what I do."

Before she could move, he laced his hand in her hair and dragged her mouth up to his.

The kiss wasn't like the warm, simmering, sensual kiss they'd shared on his couch; this kiss was like a volcano: hot, pulsating and explosive.

Hinata felt his fingers contract at the base of her neck, while his other arm snaked out to wrap around her waist, pressing her intimately to him. This was wrong. This was out of anger, out of passion, out of control. And yet, it felt so right.

With superhuman effort, she pushed herself from him, tearing her mouth from his. Panting for breath, she glared at him. _"Don't you dare!"_

His eyes widened. He was also short of breath, Hinata noticed. She saw more steam tha fire in his eyes; he was getting himself back under control.

Hinata's voice vibrated with the energy rushing through her veins. "Don't you ever, just _ever_ grab me and think you can punish me with that kind of thing, just because you got some macho, testerone-driven issues. You aren't Tarzan, and I sure as hell am not Jane." She clenched her fist, passions blurring with fury. "When I kiss someone, it's not going to be out of anger, or frustration, or whatever. It's going to be because of desire, pure and simple. When a man kisses me, it's because he wants to kiss me. You got that?"

He drew a ragged breath, his eyes full of remorse. "I got it."

"Good."

Without another word, she threw her arms around his neck, lacing her fingers in his hair and dragged _his_ lips down to meet hers.

If Hinata thought she could stay in control of the kiss, she was wrong. Vaguely she thought she was trying to prove a point, but now all she could hang on to was the fact that she needed his lips. _Him._

Naruto stood stiff as marble, probably with shock, before he wrapped his arms around her, his hands clutching at the small of her back. He melted into her, slanting over his mouth hungrily. Hinata parted her lips, wanting more. His tongue traced her lips with fire. She moaned as his tongue swept into her mouth to tangle with hers. Heat speared through her, pulsing like beacons, drawing a median line from her heart to between her legs.

She didn't think, couldn't think. She could only desire, and act.

Naruto pushed her onto the laundry table, lifting her up to sit on it. She clutched on his shoulders and her legs parted easily. He stood between them, his hands stroked down her back, in long loving glides. She could feel his fingertips, like trails of flame that only pitched her passion higher.

"Hinata," he breathed unevenly against her neck, pressing kisses just behind her ear.

Neck.

Collarbone.

Arching her back, her breast pressed against him. Her legs wrapped around his waist. Pushing himself forward, he elicited an inexplicable gasp from her.

"Naruto? Hinata? You down here?"

Hinata gasped, not in pleasure this time, and thought she'd swallow her own tongue. Or possibly Naruto's. The two of them tore themselves away from one another; both standing like panting boxers in opposite corners of the small room.

Temari peered down curiously. "What are you two doing down here?"

"We'll be up in a minute." Naruto's voice was rough, and his back was to the stairwell.

"Well, when you do, could you bring up a case of root beer? The guests are getting so thirsty." She shut the door behind her.

"Hinata, this is crazy. You're my best friend in the whole world," he said, moving in to drop a quick kiss on her already-swollen lips. "Please, for both our sakes, stay the hell away from me."

With that, Naruto bolted up the stairs in 3 seconds flat.

Fanning her face, Hinata leaned back against the now-infamous laundry-room table. What had just happened was _unbelievable_!

_**He wants you.**_

It wasn't a matter of not being his type. It wasn't a matter of him seeing her only as a friend. He thought that she wasn't interested in him. He thought that she thought him only of a buddy!

_I might have a shot at this, _Hinata thought suddenly. Now, the time for analyzing is over. _I'm in love with him and I'm going to make this work!_

If Hinata recalled correctly, there was a chapter in _The Guide_ on how to seduce a man. She smiled wickedly.

Now, it was a chance to try it out.

* * *

**I have to say Naruto's clueless and I'm tired of writing his denial. Now you know why women think men are idiots. **

**Stay tuned for Hinata's Seduction. -eyes sneakily**

**Christmas Cheer**

Rejoice, one and all for Christmas is here!

Let us join in the Christmas Cheer.

Wreathes and holly, bells of gold,

Let the tale of Yuletide cheer unfold.

Twinkling lights, how bright they are,

Atop the Christmas tree rests a shining star.

Melodies and carol sung,

The red, fur-trimmed stockings hung.

As we sing the hymns of joy and praise.

And the candles brighten every face.

Now we bow our heads in prayer,

And thank the Lord for blessing fair.

The air of joy and warmth is awake.

On this day, we merry make

'Til out heart's content, out bellies full.

Let us sing the cheer, the cheer of Yule!

**Merry Christmas, Everyone!**

**I'm celebrating Christmas in Summer! And it's my first time receiving gifts or should I say, my first Christmas!**

**:D**


	13. Chp 13: Oh, Mercy!

**Chapter 13: Oh, Mercy!**

**I'm BAAAaaaacCCK! Thank you for waiting so patiently, dears. I had a wonderful Christmas and had my first present! Thank you all who wished me:-)**

**Applauds **I like angst, Shy-Princess, H.L.F.K.S.K.T Kaoru, hikaru, LenKun, Dr.Cube, the16thday, loujane14, Kelly, Tater-Chan, PyschoB, bleachyum, Elsie-neechan, Gyousan Maindo (wow, you are so considerate!), BlueJx23 ( ),KyokochanBloodyFortune, draw.62121, encyser, ElissaWolf, lovinbishiboysanyaoi, kingleby, Hatake Megumi, Silver Apocalypse, JSai, La Wei, Tarnee, serenitymellenium, killjoy6000, FrillingFreak, adboleware, fallenforedward, Mystical-Dreamer57 AND Joii!!!!!

**Now, onward to the devious plot hatched by our viciously sexy Hinata. :P –Why do I sense eyes skipping the notes above?-

* * *

**

If Hinata recalled correctly, there was a chapter in _The Guide_ on how to seduce a man. She smiled wickedly.

* * *

A few Days later, Naruto felt that he had perhaps overreacted at the housewarming. He sat at his desk in the office. It was dark out, but he'd been getting a lot done. Yes, given a week's distance and perspective, he felt quite sure that he'd blown the whole thing out of proportion.

"Boss?"

Naruto looked up from the proposal he was working on. "Yes, Sai?"

Naruto's young assistant shifted his weight nervously. "It's about these." He held up several sheets of paper.

Naruto frowned. "What about them?"

"These letters don't make sense, boss," Sai put them down on the desk in front of Naruto's briefcase. "I mean, in one paragraph, you're talking about the risks of potentially dangerous mergers. Then you're saying we should throw caution to the wind and sign up tomorrow. What exactly do you want to say here?"

Naruto stared at the letters as if they were live alligators. "I wrote that?"

"The really strange thing is, I didn't even thin we were trying to merge with this company. I thought we just wanted to run a couple of co-op ads with them." Sai cleared his throat. "I usually just proof your letters and send them as is, but this is really weird."

"I… thanks, Sai." Naruto sighed, taking the letters and throwing them on top of the one of the piles on his desk. "I don't know where my head is. I'll fix them. What time is it, anyway?" He glanced at his watch with tired eyes. "Eight o'clock? What are you still doing here?"

Sai shrugged. "If you're working, I'm working."

Naruto laughed. "While I appreciate the dedication, are you nuts? Just because your boss is becoming a workaholic, doesn't mean you have to be chained to your desk."

"I thought you might be working on something important," Sai argued. "You've been here until nine o'clock every night, and you're coming in at seven in the morning."

"I'm just… I'm just playing a little catch-up. It won't be like this for much longer," Naruto said, unconvincingly, but in a blink, gave Sai a stern look. "And I expect you to work normal hours unless I expressly ask otherwise, got it?"

Sai grinned. "Thanks, boss." With no further prompting, he bolted out from the office.

Naruto sighed, shutting down his computer. He might as well admit it. He'd done everything he could think of to exorcise the ghost Hinata. He ran on the beach, worked out in his home gym until his muscles screamed, did paperwork until his eyes crossed etc. Anything! ANYTHING to get his mind off her. But that didn't protect him from his subconscious mind.

The minute his head hit the pillow, he was asleep with her taste on his lips, the sweet scent of hair in his nose and the silky feel of flesh under his palms. He'd relieved that moment in the laundry room every night… and had gone considerably further with it than they had in reality, as if they'd never been interrupted. What was worse, when he wasn't fighting this overwhelming lust for her, he got blindsided by an even sneakier emotion.

He missed her.

He'd tried not to call her, but something would happen and his fingers would instinctively start to dial her number. He had consciously avoided poker night and all the usual Gang hangouts, afraid that she might be there. So far, he'd shuttled to work or home, stopping only for long surf sessions because he knew that was one place she wouldn't be.

Naruto knew he had inadvertently started this change, by proposing the stupid, short-sighted, damnable bet. Now that the change had started, he didn't know what was going to happen to her, or to them. And he didn't know how to stop it… but at the same time, he knew he didn't want to live without her.

He had done everything but talk face-to-face with her. Maybe if he just sat down with her and discussed it, she would understand and come up with some way to help him fix things and make it all right again. He'd tried being around her and it had turned into the episode in the laundry room. Now, having tried not being around her, he still found her just as distracting in his mind as she was in flesh.

_Okay, almost as distracting, _Naruto thought, a quick flash of her flesh burning his memory.

They had to talk it out. It was the mature, adult, rational thing to do. Taking a deep breath, he picked up the phone and dialed her number.

"Hello?"

"Hinata," Naruto said, clearing his throat. "It's me, Naruto."

There was a moment's pause on the other end of the line. "I thought you weren't talking to me," she said finally.

"It's not working, Hinata. I need to see you."

Another pause.

"Okay. When and where?" Her voice returned, coming through as husky and seductively so.

Naruto pushed back a thought and glanced at his watch. "I'm still at the office, but I'll be heading home soon. Maybe I could drop by after that?"

"I've got a better idea," Hinata murmured. "Why don't I meet you at your house? Say, in… half an hour?"

Naruto sighed. Half an hour. He could pull himself together in half an hour. "Okay. I'll see you at eight thirty."

"I'm glad you called, Naruto." He could hear the little smile in her voice. "I missed you."

She hung up and he gently placed the phone back on it's cradle. "I missed you, too," he said, half to himself.

* * *

Naruto had gotten home and changed into more comfortable clothes and was waiting for Hinata to get there. He wouldn't let her talk first, and e wouldn't get physically close to her. He'd lay out the problem as if presenting a brainstorming session, and see what she had to say. If he just kept his hands off her, if he could just stay focused, they might get out of this alive.

Naruto smiled mockingly at himself. Okay, he was exaggerating. But not by much. This thing had driven him crazy, and he was dangerously close to the breaking point. He was torturing himself with images of her – at the sports bar, at the housewarming, on his couch. If Hinata wore one of her simple-yet-sexy design tonight, he wasn't sure what he'd do… throw a beach towel over her, or just flat-out tackle her and rake her on the living room floor.

He glanced at his hallway cupboard. Maybe he should get out a beach towel, just in case. Either way, he was close to snapping.

The doorbell rang and he started slightly. "Get a grip, man," he muttered to himself, and praying for strength, he opened the door.

Hinata was wearing her hair pulled back, and her makeup made her eyes look smoldering, her lips inviting. Naruto quickly moved his gaze elsewhere. Thankfully, she was wearing a thick grey wool car coat… apparently over one of her shorter dresses, since he couldn't see the hemline. She was wearing a set of low pumps.

He quickly glanced away from her legs, knowing that staring too long at them would definitely push him toward the taking-her-on-the-living-room-floor scenario. "Come on in," Naruto said nervously. "Can I get you anything?"

"Um, a glass of water," Hinata said. Strangely, she sounded equally nervous.

Probably in reaction to him. He'd been a complete basket case lately. It wouldn't be a surprise if she were uncomfortable with it. And there was their previous and new physical history. Yes, the sooner they got this cleared up, the better.

"Do you want me to take your coat?" Naruto asked.

Hinata looked at him with wide eyes, as if he'd suggested they go murder somebody.

"Um, never mind. Actually, that's better. Keep the coat on," he said, words tumbling out one another. "I have a few things I need to say to you, and I need you to just listen and not intterupt me."

Hinata nodded slowly, nibbling delicately at her lower lip. Naruto tried not to let the sweet little gesture distract him.

"Hinata, we've…" he started, then stopped. "What I mean to say is…" He took a deep breath. "We've kissed, Hinata. A lot."

She stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Um, I know that. I was there, remember?"

Her laughter helped ease the tension. After a moment, he chuckled good-naturedly, too. "I keep forgetting who I'm talking to, Hinata. We really need to talk about this."

She smiled, tilting her head to the side. "Okay. What exactly do you need to say?"

His brain went black for a moment. "I… well, I guess I forgot it was you when I was kissing you."

She flinched.

"That didn't come out right," Naruto added hastily. "Let me try that again. I knew it was you, but I sort of forgot everything that _you_ entailed."

"And what exactly does kissing _me _entail?"

Naruto sighed raggedly. "I… what I'm about to say here is, ever since you changed what you looked like, I haven't treated you like a friend, and that's where the problem began. I just keep getting sidetracked by what you looked like, and ignored the fact that you're Hinata. And since you're Hinata… well, you know what that means."

"I'm not sure. Why don't you spell it out for me?"

Naruto swallowed. "It means that I shouldn't do anything like that with you. You're… special, Hinata," he explained. "You're very special to me just the way you are."

She sighed. Without another word, she got up and went to his bedroom.

Naruto blinked. Well, that had gone worse than he had expected. He followed her. "Are you okay…?" he asked, then stopped abruptly.

She had tossed the car coat onto the floor and was rummaging through his chest of drawers. What she was wearing…

He stopped breathing.

_**Oh, mercy.**_

She was wearing a deep, dark-blue teddy, in some shiny material that made it shimmer like a black-blue pearl. What little there was; cut high on her thigh and low down the front. It had a dark satin ribbon lacing it up on the front, just begging to be untied. She turned to stare at him, her eyes huge and glowing like hazel crystals.

"Do you have any sweats?" she asked.

Naruto cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. What?"

"Sweats," she repeated, blushing. The pink wash covered most of her body, it seemed, and he could tell… most of her body was deliciously exposed. "I was wondering if I could borrow a pair of sweats and a T-shirt."

Naruto's mouth went dry. He tried to look everywhere, all at once, and his pulse beat a hectic tempo in his chest.

Hinata looked down at the drawer she'd opened. "Look, I feel really stupid about this. I should have known… oh, I've just been an idiot. Sure, I've changed a lot, but we've always just been friends. I guess I was starting to buy the hype, you know? Hinata the Tomboy turning into Hinata the Sexy. It's like we always say… you know you're in trouble when you start believing your own press."

Naruto barely registered the self-derision in her voice, the embarrassment. A part of him wanted to comfort her, but the rest of him had already started the chemical change that made listening ot even rational thoughts impossible.

**The beast was awake and it wanted Hinata.**

Naruto had finally reached his breaking point. He snapped.

"I just want to throw on some normal clothes and watch ESPN until I forget this whole episode… hey!" Her words got cut off as in two quick steps, he was at her side, spinning her, grabbing her. Taking her.

With an impatient motion, he pulled the ribbon out of her hair, crushing the satiny waves in one hand. His eyes burned into hers. Before she could saw anything else, he molded his mouth to hers, branding her. She tasted like some tropical fruit, sweet and tart and exotic. He feasted on her.

When he felt her body melt into pliancy, he gripped her to him, gently tugging at her hair until her closed eyes opened. "I tried, dammit," he said, his voice ragged. "I tried not to do this."

Hinata took a deep breath. "Do you know who I am this time?"

Naruto nodded. "You're the woman I told myself I couldn't want, but the woman I need more than breathing. You're the woman I crave like a drug." He smiled, his eyes gleaming with ferocious promise. "You're the woman I'm going to make lose control tonight. Satisied?"

She started to nod. "Well, not yet," she said, and her voice sent sensual shivers from his heart, to his stomach, and lower. "But I think I will be."

"Hinata," Naruto groaned, and took her mouth again.

_This is what I wanted. It's perfect. _Hinata thought, and returned the kiss with equal fierceness, tangling her fingers in his golden hair.

It was only a few steps to the bed, and she laughed as they stumbled over a pair of his running shoes and fell onto the bed.

Naruto laughed, too, a short, harsh gasp. "Okay, I'm going faster than I should," he said, studying Hinata intently. "I've wanted you for too long to lose control now."

"B careful," Hinata teased, moving her body seductively and grinning smugly when his eyes widened. "You're not the only person who can make somebody lose control." She kissed him gently on his jaw-line, then lay back on the bed and smiled.

He raise an eyebrow at her challenge. Then, he ran his fingers through her hair, his fingertips caressing her face like a blind man, learning with his touch the way he'd only known her with his eyes. "You are exquisite," Naruto said clearly, his voice low and rough. "Don't ever doubt it." He brushed kisses over the trail his fingers had drawn.

He made her feel beautiful. Her fingers went to his shirt. Trembling, she drew the material more slowly than she wanted, but her movement on his now-sensitized skin was having an effect on him. Finally, she tugged the thing off his shoulders and tossed it blindly onto the floor.

Hinata took a minute to look her fill at his broad, muscular chest. Then, she skimmed her fingertips over it, taking her cue from him, moving with gentle roughness. The satin smoothness of his skin contrasted wildly with the corded muscles that flexed under her hands.

Naruto smiled that sexy, devilish smile that sent a spear of fire through her chest. "My turn," he murmured against the base of her throat.

She gasped at the sensation, feeling ripples of it pulse through her chest. He took the ends of the ribbon that laced up her teddy and slowly tugged. The bow vanished. Then, he eased the shoulder straps down off her shoulders. "This is nice," he said appreciatively, grinning. "I think you should greet me at the door in this more often."

"Well, you know how it is," she wriggled breathlessly. "Laundry day's tomorrow, and it's all I had left…"

Naruto laughed, tracing the low edge of the now-open bodice with his tongue. "Remind me to bring a load of laundry over," he said, his breath tickling her skin. "I think I'd like to know you're not wearing anything when I get there."

Hinata was going to chuckle, but he edged the material lower and she didn't have any more breath to laugh with.

He cupped the undersides of her breasts and showered it with kisses. He watched as her nipples pinched forward, hardening, tightening under his attention. She was breathing in sexy little gasps, a combination of surprise and arousal. Hee smiled tenderly as she edged up to meet his mouth.

The glint of sexual challenge in her eyes only encouraged him to take it even more slowly, to torture her the way she was torturing him. He'd take all night and part of the morning if he had to.

Naruto slipped the teddy off her, and revised that thought. He'd last maybe 5 minutes at this rate.

Her body was perfection; Hinata twisted a little, obviously unused to being naked to the light of a man's eyes. The little action made him smile.

Naruto stroked her legs lovingly, promising himself that he'll give more attention to them later, when he wasn't under the driving, brutal passion that was grilling him as he caressed her.

She grasped one of his hands. "No fair," she said breathlessly. "It's your turn." She reached for his waistband. Naruto gave her a surprised look. For someone so shy, she took the lead with a look of hunger that tripled what he was already feeling. If this kept up, he might die. But he would certainly die happy.

Naruto was wearing silk boxers with silver stripes. Hinata could see the evidence of arousal springing forward against the slick fabric. "Aren't those the boxers I bought for you on your birthday?"

He started to nod, then hissed sharply as she smoothed her hands over them, giving loving attention to his hardness. "Mmm. They didn't feel this good in the box."

He choked.

Hinata laughed, teasing him the way he'd teased her, pressing kisses on his thigh, at his waistband. Before she could dip lower, Naruto growled, pinning her on the bed. "You keep that up, angel, and I'll be embarrassed. I want tonight to be good for you."

"Naruto," she whispered, pausing to kiss him deeply. "I'm finally with you. It's already perfect."

He smiled, like a man who'd been given the gift he'd always dreamed of, and she shivered as he took her mouth in a kiss sweeter than any she'd ever experienced.

When he leaned down to kiss her neck, she moaned, wrapping her arms around him, stroking strong eager fingers down his back. He nipped at her breasts, making her back arch even more.

"Naru-" Hinata clutched at him. "Please. I need…"

Naruto graoned. "Angel, I need you, too."

He tugged off his boxers.

He was magnificent. His skin was gleaming and chiseled and his arousal was so…

Hinata cleared her throat nervously. _He's huge._

Something must have reflected on her face, because despite the passion that was clearly burning through him, Naruto chuckled. "Second thoughts, angel?"

"Eep."

He laughed, nuzzling her neck. When she felt his hardness pressing at the soft flesh of her thighs, a wave of molten dampness answered between her legs. She arched her hips, cuddling him intimately.

Naruto stopped, poised at the brink of her. His breathing was laboured. "Hinata."

She looked up. His eyes were rings of blazing silver around circles of opaque black fire.

Hinata was drenched in passion and it took her a minute to figure out why he'd stopped then. He was giving her one last chance to stop what they'd started. He was letting her decide.

The fever inside her was beyond reasoning. She arched up against him, kissing him hard as she moved her legs to curve around him.

With a groan, Naruto pushed forward, and she felt him fill her with delicious slowness. She clutched his shoulders tightly as she felt him breach the sensitive barrier. She mewed loudly and gasped when his thrust began to move forward. "Naruto…"

"Oh, God, angel," he breathed.

Naruto moved inside her, rocking gently, thrusting swiftly and deeply. She could feel the pressure of him, moving over her most delicate flesh, and felt fire roar through her. She pushed her hips up to meet him, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist.

"Naruto," she breathed. "I can't… I'm…" Her pulse pounded in her ears and she was shouting his name.

He moved against her, and she could feel the slick sweat between them. He was bringing her to the edge, and she could feel that elusive pulse start to ring through her. She pushed against him, and he drove into her, hard.

Hinata was catapulted over into oblivion, every sense overloading. She cied out, clenching him tight. _"Naruto!"_

"Hinata," he groaned in answer, his hips jerked hard against hers. Once, twice before finally collapsing on top of her.

After a long moment, he pushed himself up on one arm, stroking her weat-dampened bangs out of her face. He smiled rakishly.

"I won," he said.

Hinata blinked, then remembered the challenge earlier. She chuckled. Her head was still reeling from what they've just done. And amazingly, as his fingers stroked down between her shoulder blades, she felt an aftershock of pleasure. She squirmed and his eyes widened as she rubbed against him.

"I think you're cheating," she said, moving seductively, her breathing going shallow.

His breathing went uneven, but he smiled. "What are you suggesting?"

Hinata kissed him luxuriously then released him abruptly. "Tiebreaker."

"Mmm. I like the idea. Two out of three?" Naruto said, moving up with one lusciously rough motion.

She gasped. "You're on."

* * *

**This chapter took me a while… XP**

**Happily Ever After? Doesn't seem right to end here, right:P Anybody up for seconds? **


	14. Chp 14: I am NOT In Love

**Chapter 14: "I am NOT In Love"**

**Never knew I'd update so soon, eh? Why would I want to wait for reviews come rolling in, right? I should be content with the numbers, right? XP (The challenge: Who Would Lose Control First?) Oh, and Sakura's not making anymore appearances.**

BlondeKell, Lady Of Genesis, Valoo, Hikaru (Your name reminds me of Ouran High), LenKun, bleachyum, cabbitqueen, Silver Apocalypse, lovinbishiboysanyaoi, killjoy6000, ElissaWolf (You're too kind! –blushes-), Shy-Princess, BlueJx23, the16thday, kingleby, UchihaPandaDanda, loujane14, Hatake Megumi, Elsie-neechan, encyser, Rewy and Tater-chan

**Alright! I can't believe most of you thought I was stopping at _that _chapter! -arms akimbo- They just had sex and the evolving feelings are not over yet! I have a right mind to delete this story after I've finished and done with it: until I think it has graced fanfiction for long enough. Okay, moving on. –huffs-

* * *

**

Naruto woke up slowly, sensing the sunlight pouring in through his window. He was hot, was the first thing that came to mind. _And a little cramped_, now that he thought of it. But strangely, he wasn't uncomfortable. In fact, he had an overwhelming feeling of well-being, bordering on satiation. Hell, he felt happy. And when was the last time he'd face d a morning with _that_ emotion?

He started to roll over and encountered a girl-shaped lump.

He froze.

It was his apartment, his bed. His best friend.

_Oh no._

He had just made love with Hinata. Several times, in fact.

The shock of what he'd done was nothing compared to the jolt he got as he remembered the night before. He'd told himself he'd _promised_ himself that he wouldn't touch her. He'd just talk it out and be adult about the whole thing! He'd explain what was happening, and then he'd be able to keep his best friend, instead of getting into bed with her, which would lead to a relationship that would be doomed to failure. He _knew_ what was at stake and still he had been the stereotypical guy, letting his body do all the talking!

Naruto closed his eyes as more images of the previous night invaded. He tried to calm the unruly response of his body, which even now reacted with the memories of what he and Hinata had done. He'd never kissed a woman the way he'd kissed Hinata. Those kisses weren't maneuvered to get her to sleep with him.

He'd kissed her that way because he needed her, because she felt so perfectly right beneath him. He never would have thought that his best friend Hinata would be his perfect sexual complement in bed. She was sexier than he'd ever dreamed anyone could be; her body was like silk and fire. That generous mouth of hers, moving over him…

He leaped out of bed. _Okay, no more thoughts down that path!_

Naruto couldn't resist looking at her though, and the sight made his heart beat unevenly. She was tangled in the sheets, still completely naked. Her body looked lean and graceful, her hair was tousled and her face relaxed; her full lips still curving in the remnants of a smile. She had a mark on her neck where he'd kissed her a little harder than he realized.

He leaned down, pressing his lips gently where the mark was. She gave a soft little sigh, turning toward him blindly.

He pulled back away as if burned.

If he got into a relationship with her, he'd lose her. It was as simple as that. Honestly! He was actually arguing with himself!

Naruto hastily snatched up some clothes, got dressed and walked through the bedroom. Hinata was still sleeping, obviously exhausted. All he could say was, they'd gone five out of seven, and she'd won.

Naruto knew she was different than what he had seen in other relationship. He knew that he'd never ride an emotional roller-coaster with her; he wouldn't see jealousy, he wouldn't be forced into little dramas and psychological showdowns. She wouldn't even hurt him.

_**As long as she was his friend.**_

But he knew her. She was looking to get married, to be wildly in love. She _deserved_ to be in love, even though his chest ached uncomfortably at the thought. She didn't deserve to be hurt because her best friend was an arse. If she had been any other woman, he would've convinced her to call in sick, and they would've spent the day in bed, exploring each other's new nakedness, finding new and exciting ways to enjoy each other. Then, once he'd figured out what it was he couldn't stand about her, or once she'd played one too many games on him or thrown one too many tantrums or just gotten a little too clingy, he'd gently break it off and go back to his old life a.k.a. "the perfect bachelor life".

He knew there was no way he would feel, or do, any of that to Hinata. At least, he wouldn't do it intentionally. But what if it did happen? She wouldn't bring in expectations, but she would leave with disappointments. There was no way he could keep her as the friend he needed. And he needed her desperately. Oh God, how he needed her.

_Damage control, _he thought. _Stop this now, before it gets worse._

Naruto grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. "Hinata," he wrote. "Meet me at Hennesy's at seven-thirty. Naruto."

Sighing, he left it on the bedside table. Then, because he couldn't help himself, he lowered his head and kissed her. Even asleep, she stirred beneath his lips, pressing against him. He let himself linger for a second. _After she sees me tonight, I'll never be able to touch her again._

He tore himself away.

_Got to stop this now. Before it's too late.

* * *

_

"What is WITH you today?" Hanabi snapped.

Hinata stopped, midstride, a dazed smile on her face. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"You're singing." Hanabi's finely drawn eyebrow lifted. "You never sing."

Kiba walked up to her. He has been coming around their department a lot lately. Maybe perhaps of Hanabi. "You've been dancing in the hallway, too. What's going on, Hina?"

"Nothing. I'm happy." Hinata hugged her folder of sketches to her chest.

Hanabi grinned broadly. "You're more than happy," she said with asperity, studying her as if she were a bug under a microscope. "Your'e glowing."

Kiba squinted, then stopped, his eyes widening. "Oh, no."

Hinata mistrusted that expression on his face. "What?"

"You got lucky, didn't you?" Kiba crowed with laughter. "Wait till Naruto get a load of this!"

Hinata winced.

Hanabi gave her a sly smile. "Meeeow. So, sister dear, who's the lucky guy?"

"Remind me again how this became your business?" Hinata retorted and made a beeline to her office. Hanabi and Kiba were hot on her heels. "You can't keep this a secret! I, being your closest blood relation has a right to know!"

"Yea, as one of the Gang, I have a right to know as well!" Kiba smirked.

"Right to know? Freedom to gossip is not covered in the constitution!" Hinata tried to be more angry about it, but the fact was, she was too ecstatic to even care that they were hassling her. "My sex life is private. Only one other person is privy to the details." Now, it was her turn to smirk.

Kiba roared with laughter as Hanabi gaped. She saw Hinata deftly winked at Kiba. She was full of suspicion.

"At least tell me this," Kiba hounded. "How was it?"

"How was it?" Hard as she tried, her pulse picked up and she felt the dumb grin she'd been wearing all day broaden. "It was incredible. Out of the world." Hinata stopped, seeing them at the edge of their figurative seats, lapping in every juicy bits. _Way to be discreet, Hinata! _"Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do."

Hinata began to close the door, but Hanabi grabbed the door handle. Her green eyes widened. "Ooh! You have a hickey!"

Hinata's hand flew to her throat where the makeup she'd so carefully applied must have worn off.

"Hinata's got a hic-key, Hinata's got a hic-key!" Kiba sang cheerfully.

"Grow up," she groaned, before slamming the door in their faces. She could ehar the chanting and hooting laughter another minute or so before Kiba finally disappeared, his chuckles echoing down the hallway.

She sat down, putting her folder on her desk.

Last night had been more than incredible. She didn't have the exact words to describe the experience. Anything she might have expected was completely surpassed. _And best of all, I won, _Hinata thought with a wicked grin.

She shook her head, feeling her pulse increase as the heat built in the pit of her stomach. Oh, she wanted him. It had been creeping up on her all morning, no matter what she was doing or who she was talking to. She could not get Naruto out of her mind. How was she suppose to know that her best friend for twenty years was the man of her dreams?

Not to say that they weren't still friends (but he was more than just her best friend now). To Hinata's mind,, that's what made it all so perfect: She knew his heart, his secret dreams and fears. He knew hers. There wasn't any awkward-get-to-know-you period, no hesitancy. There was nothing they couldn't share with each other. They clicked so perfectly before; now they were meshed. They were one heart. She'd always known that she loved him, as a friend. Now she valued his friendship as a lover.

_If I had started with Naruto, I would never would have moved on to anybody else._

Hinata glanced down at the note he had left by her bedside (she brought it to her office). She smiled. _Funny that he should pick one of the Gang's hangouts._

Maybe he wanted to make their new status public as soon as possible. She'd only been to Hennessy's a few times her self. It was more of a guy's place, a real pickup joint. Hinata seemed to remember they had some nickname for it, but she couldn't recall it offhand. It probably involved "babe-hunting", if she knew the guys.

Hinata smiled, hugging herself as she felt goose bumps crawl up her arms. Tonight was the first night of her new future. She shook her hair out of its ponytail; it fell in loose waves over her shoulders.

* * *

Naruto sat at one of the high, round tables at Hennessy's. It was the height of Happy Hour, with plenty of men and women laughing, flirting and generally being rowdy as they munched on the buffet and ordered rounds of magaritas. The rest of the Gang called Hennessy's "Heartbreak Hotel", because at one point or another, they had all brought women there to break up with them. It was a perfect setting for it – public, loud, hard to cause a scene in.

Naruto had picked it out of habit and cowardice. He wasn't sure how Hinata was going to handle the news that last night had been a mistake, a poor decision over their overexcited bodies had thrown them into. Naruto knew he'd rather put a gun to his head than hurt Hinata. He knew that. But this was the only way to prevent her from getting even more hurt later. He had a chance to change it now, quickly, before it went too far.

* * *

Whatever happened that night at Hennessy's, Naruto felt like he'd been the one _slapped_. In the end, he watched as she walked slowly across the floor, smiling at various men as she made her way to the door. Every male gaze riveted to her. With her head held high and her hips swaying gently, Naruto could only think of two things.

She as so beautiful, his heart ached to look at her.

She was walking out of his life forever.

* * *

"Whoo-EE. The babes are out tonight!" Kiba said, handing a beer to Iruka.

Iruka grinned, eyeing the crowd. "Honey alert, twelve o'clock. Get a look at that one, Naruto!"

Naruto swirled his soda around in his glass. He gave the woman a cursory glance, then shrugged.

Iruka huffed, nudging Sean. "What is _up_ eith this man lately?"

Gaara studied Naruto intently. "Offhand, I'd say woman trouble."

Shikamaru gave Naruto a quick glance, then laughed. "No question. Only a woman, or lack thereof, could make a guy this miserable."

"Now that you mention it, he hasn't gotten a lot of action lately. Maybe you should try diving back into the dating pool, bud," Iruka suggested helpfully. "This is a target-rich environment. I'm sure there are a ton of babes here who'd love to be your flavor of the month."

"Hah. Of the weekend, maybe, knowing our man's track record," Kiba corrected Iruka.

Naruto ignored them, letting their voices blend into the din. He stared at the tabletop, sighing.

He could remember the past week in crystal-clear detail. His life was a steady routine. He worked out, he surfed; his job was going clockwork, and he was getting a lot done. He was going out with the guys every night, something he hadn't done in years. His life was going fine, just fine.

Sure he missed Hinata. She was his best friend, why shouldn't he miss her? So he'd reached for the phone to call her a couple of times a day. Big deal. And he'd canceled poker night. She was one of the best poker players there. It was pointless to keep playing without that level of competition.

He'd given up football games last Saturday and a Sunday a miss, too. There was such a thing as too much football, even for a guy like him. Just because he couldn't watch it with Hinata didn't mean anything.

"Hello?" Shikamaru nudged Naruto sharply in the ribs.

"Check out the blondie coming this way," Kiba whispered, giving her a once-over and a wolfish grin.

Naruto glanced up half-heartedly. A voluptuous woman with platinum golden hair was slinking her way to their table, a knowing smile on her pony lips. The Gang smiled broadly.

She walked straight to Naruto. "Hi there. My name's Ino."

He nodded.

She smiled, and he felt her chest brush across his shoulder. "You don't seem to be having a good time here. Is there any place I could take you, and maybe help you feel better?"

Naruto could sense the barely concealed glee from the other men at the table. To their utmost shock, Naruto shook his head. "No. Thanks."

Her eyes widened in obvious surprise. No other man had turn her offer down before without a lingering perverted gaze. She tried again by leaning over a little farther, no doubt to accentuate her cleavage. "Are you sure? I'm very, very good… at cheering people up."

Naruto turned to her, shrugging her touch off his shoulder. "I don't mean to be rude about his, but I'm not interested. Okay?"

He turned back to his beer, hearing rather than seeing her flounce of indignation.

The guys watched her walk away, then pounced on him. "Are you off your rocker? That woman was hot. And she offered!"

Naruto glared at them. They ignored his obvious attempt to shut them up.

"Maybe it's Hinata," Kiba said suddenly.

Naruto's head jerked up. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Kiba shrugged. "Well, the fact that she's finally gotten lucky has got to mean that you're that much closer to losing your bet. But I wouldn't worry too much about it. I mean, she's dating like crazy, but I think it's still impossible for her to get somebody to marry her in a week, man."

"How do you know she's 'gotten lucky'?" Naruto asked in a low, chilling voice.

"She had a hickey the size of Cleveland under her jaw, that's how." Kiba laughed. "Happened a week ago."

Iruka gasped. "Sunny? Our Sunny?"

"Our Sunny has got to be a lot happier than our cheerful friend here, is all I can say," Kiba said sagely. "Maybe you should take a page out of her book, man, and lighten up. The day after she got that monster, she was so lit up you could have used her for a scoreboard."

"Is she still happy? Shown any more… marks?" Naruto asked, more sharply than he'd intended. Had she found someone that quickly? _That was what you said she deserved_, his conscience asserted. His heart obviously disagreed. The dull ache intensified at the thought of someone else enjoying her luscious body, her bright, sweet smile. Her.

Shikamaru turned to Kiba curiously, but Gaara continued to stare at his brother, his eyes narrowing. Naruto was too intent on Kiba's answer to care.

Kiba frowned. "Not that you mention it, I don't think so. I mean, she's working a lot, but she seems to go out with a different guy every night, and out to lunch with another one every day. While I'll say she's a lot more sociable than she's ever been, no way is our Sunny easy." On that point, Kiba looked adamant.

"So, what happened to the guy who gave her the hickey?" Naruto prodded. "She's never mentioned who it is?"

"Well, no," Kiba admitted, shrugging. "But it's pretty obvious, don't cha think?"

Naruto held his breath.

"It's gotta be Sasuke. He was the only guy she was dating around that time that I know of."

"Well, whoever it was, he's one lucky man," Kiba continued, chortling. "I may have to give her a call myself…"

Naruto reached across the table and went for Kiba's throat.

"Hey!" The other men quickly disengaged Naruto's hands from their friend's neck. "What are you doing, man?"

"Don't talk that way about Hinata," Naruto demanded, his hands shaking with rage. "Not when I'm around. Not around anybody. If I find out you've said anything about her to anyone, I'll tear you apart."

"I wasn't disrespecting Hinata, Naruto!" Kiba yelled, rubbing at his neck. "What the hell is _wrong_ with you?"

Iruka shook his head. "Oh, no."

Naruto turned to face him, ready to take him on, too. "What's _your_ problem?"

"I should've realized. You're being sullen, irrational, touchy and hair-trigger violent." Iruka sighed indignantly. "Why didn't you tell us you're in love, man? We could've packed up all your breakables."

"I am _not_ in love," Naruto growled. And that was one thing he could be thankful for. Like he didn't have enough problems right now! "Being in love makes a man crazy. It always ends in disaster, and it's always with the wrong woman. I'm not doing any of that!"

He stormed away, but not before hearing the Gang say in unison, "Yup. He's in love."

--

Sasuke dropped Hinata off at her house that night. She was glad to see him, but she felt a slight awkwardness after everything that had happened between her and Naruto. Still, Sasuke ad been understanding about her other dates. He'd been downright wonderful about keeping her busy, too. He took her to movies, out to dinner, even on a trip to the zoo once. But she could sense growing tension from him, a sort of uneasiness that intensified every time she saw him.

Whatever it was, it was getting worse, Hinata surmised. He hadn't said anything to her the whole car ride back. And that was unlike him.

Sasuke walked her to her door, as usual.

"I guess this is good night, Sasuke," she said, giving him a quick hug. She hadn't kissed him since that disastrous smooch after the Black and White Ball. This time, he kept his arms around her loosely.

"What is it?" Hinata finally asked.

"This is sort of rough for me to talk about," Sasuke said haltingly. "Have I ever told you about my family?"

"No," she said, with some surprise.

"They're wonderful, don't get me wrong," he began, but his eyes was looking troubled. "My father own a shipping company, you've probably read that much. He and my mother are the greatest, but they've really been pushing me lately. They've somehow turned their attention towards me after realizing Itachi's not going to settle down soon and he's given them the excuse that he's always busy operating the Uchiha's side business – private investigating. Not a very safe time to date when the Kurenai stalking incident happened…" Sasuke trailed.

He cleared his throat. "Between them and the press hounding me, I feel like I've been unable to get anything important accomplished, and I've given up meeting anybody who will just care about me for me. I'm at the end of my rope. It's like no one will leave me alone, you know?"

Hinata smiled. "Actually, I do know. Temari and Neji have been like that for years. You don't want to be pushed around by them, but you love them, and you don't know how to say no."

"That's it. That's it exactly."

She sighed. "Sometimes, I wonder if I shouldn't just change my name, shave my head and run away to join the circus."

He smiled sadly. "I've got an easier solution, sot of," he muttered, sighing heavily. "But it's crazy."

"Sasuke, we're friends," Hinata said, and meant it. "You can tell me. What's wrong?"

"You're going to think I'm insane, but I was just wondering… would you do me a favour?"

He looked so at loss, Hinata's heart immediately went out to him. "Anything for a friend, Sasuke. What is it?"

"Do you think you could marry me for a while?"

* * *

**Did you like this bit of surprise:D**

**I'm sure you were surprised at the least. :P**


	15. Chp 15: Hennessy's True Story

**What Actually Happened in Hennessy's**

**Author's Note:** I totally apologise for the long wait. I was very busy with school, curricular, competitions, conferences, prom… O.o And still am. Erm. And another reason was because I've found a sweet boyfriend. :) I'm happy about it, so I decided to share.

Coolness! Back to the story.

* * *

Naruto sat at one of the high, round tables at Hennessy's. It was the height of Happy Hour, with plenty of men and women laughing, flirting and generally being rowdy as they munched on the buffet and ordered rounds of magaritas. The rest of the Gang called Hennessy's "Heartbreak Hotel", because at one point or another, they had all brought women there to break up with them. It was a perfect setting for it – public, loud, hard to cause a scene in.

Naruto had picked it out of habit and cowardice. He wasn't sure how Hinata was going to handle the news that last night had been a mistake, a poor decision over their overexcited bodies had thrown them into. Naruto knew he'd rather put a gun to his head than hurt Hinata. He knew that. But this was the only way to prevent her from getting even more hurt later. He had a chance to change it now, quickly, before it went too far.

_Of course, you're assuming that last night meant as much to her as it did to you._

Naruto took a long draw of his beer. Of course it meant as much to her. No one could have gone through what they went through and not have felt the power of it. Just memories of their night together sent pulses of heat through him. He'd been with more women than he cared to remember, but he had never had as intense an experience as he'd had with Hinata

But it had to be more than just an experience, dammit. She deserved more.

Naruto rubbed his hands wearily over his face. Why in the hell had he slept with her? She was his little Sunny, his best friend, his pal. The tomboy. The one who could deliver a hard punch if provoked, help you fix your car or drop everything to hear you out. She was the perfect sidekick. She wasn't the type of woman you'd fall in love with, right?

He looked up, mid-thought, and his breath caught in his throat.

Hinata was standing at the doorway, looking as if she'd just stepped off the Babe of the Week Website… or better yet, off some runway in Milan.

She had on a little black dress with those teeny shoulder straps that made his eyes pop. The dress has a slick satiny sheen that seems to take what little there was in the place and caress it over her curves. It clung to her body like a lover; her hair was up in a simple twist, framing her face like a work of art. Her eyes looked huge, like snowy-sparkling diamonds.

She looked like a painting or a sculpture, or a Goddess.

Wearing deep dark lipstick, the quirk of her smile was emphasized, showing how immensely kissable that mobile mouth of hers was.

Naruto tore his gaze away. _Oh, my God._

As he glanced away from her, he noticed that he wasn't the only man who'd been struck by Hinata's entrance. He noted the predatory interest showing on the faces of several men around him. It was all he could do not to beat the gleam of lechery off of their smug, beer-guzzling faces. Hinata spotted him, waved to him, her smile growing sexier by degrees. She started walking on those sexy high heels, her hips swaying hypnotically as she strode towards him.

"Hi, Hinata," Naruto said hoarsely, leaning forward to be heard over the din of the crowd.

"Hi," she said huskily, then moved to kiss him.

The urge to kiss back was strong, but he dodged. Her kiss landed on his cheek. Hinata gave him a puzzled glance, looking around. "What? Are the guys here or something?"

He wiped the lipstick off his face. "No. At least, I haven't seen them."

She smiled, sending hear straight to his groin. "I thought about you all day. Thanks for letting me sleep in, by the way." The smile grew more intense. "If you hadn't, I don't think we would have made it in to work today."

Hearing his cowardice interpreted as thoughtfulness, and hearing his own thought from that morning come from her sexy lips, sent pangs of pain through him. He took a deep breath. "Hinata, we need to talk."

She was still.

She reminded him of a nature documentary he'd seen of a gazelle scenting a lion. Her eyes were wary. "Do we?" she asked, reaching over and taking a sip of his beer.

He nodded, taking a deep, aching breath. "It's about last night."

She nodded slowly in return. "What about last night?"

"Last night was… incredible." He hadn't meant to say that, but it was the truth. She deserved to hear it.

Her eyes lit up with sultry fire. "Tell me about it."

"But it was probably not a great idea." He saw her eyes widen, and he plunged forward, as if saying the words faster would somehow lessen the blow. "You're my best friend, sunny. I don't want to do anything to hurt you, but we've known each other far too long for me to lie to you. You want somebody to fall head over heels in love with you. You want to get married. You deserve that." He swallowed hard. "You deserve better than some fling with me."

(See, how damning break-ups can be? Make your explanation clear by saying 'I' not bulleting 'You'; you probably sound like a bully, fostering resentment in your would-be ex. Anyway, that's my thoughts on it. Moving on)

Hinata blinked. Naruto felt like he'd slapped her.

"Sunny?" He finally said, after a long, pregnant pause. He reached out for her hand, but she didn't take it. He sighed. "Come on. Talk to me. We can always talk to each other, right?"

She continued studying him, shaking her head. Without a word, she began to tremble, putting her head down on the table into her cradled arms.

She was crying.

Oh, God, he was such a scum. He reached over to stroke her silken, soft hair. "Oh, Hinata, I'm so sorry…"

Her head popped up, and she wiped at the tears at the corner of her eyes. And that's when it hit him.

She was laughing.

"Oh, for pity's sake, Naruto. You are _such_ an idiot," she announced, taking a deep, hitching breath between laughs.

"I beg your pardon?"

"As well you should," she said between chuckles. "Could you be a little more into yourself?"

Now he felt like _she'd_ slapped _him_. Reeling from the shock, he finally stammered. "What are you talking about, Hinata?"

"Have you taken a good look at me lately?" She stood up, did a slow twirl that caught the eye of every man in the bar. She leaned forward so only he could hear her. "For the first time in my life, _**I feel beautiful**_. Desirable. It's been a slow, uphill process, but now that I've got it… sweetie, tehre's no way a rejection from you is going to ruin all that."

He watched the way her eyes shone, and his hand reached out to stroke her cheek before he could stop himself. "Of course not. I never thought that it would."

Hinata pulled away, her eyes flashing. "What I'm trying to tell you is that I'm a big girl now, Naruto. I'm not the little Hinata whom you need to protect. If you feel you can't handle a relationship with me, that's fine. But don't you dare think you can pin this on 'protecting' me, because that just won't cut it."

"But I wasn't – " he started, then cut himself off. Well, in a way, he _was_ trying to protect her. He was trying to protect them both. What was wrong with that?

"We can agree on one thing, though. I'm glad you said something before it went further. Neither of us needs the drama."

"Well, I'm glad you're not hurt," he said numbly. Funny that his won chest felt like a glacier, tearing a cold path through his heart.

"Are we done with this then?" She picked up her purse in a businesslike fashion. "I've got to get going."

"Why? Got a date?" He regretted the question as soon as it was out of his mouth.

Hinata surveyed him wryly. "No offense, Naruto, but I've got this whole life _besides_ you, you know. And amazing as it sounds, it appears that I _do_ have a good chance of getting married and having a wonderful husband and family. In a way, all thanks to you." She leaned over and brushed a quick kiss on his cheek. "I'll let you pay me that thousand in installments. Got to run. I'll catch you later."

"When?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. My social life got a lot more hectic. I'll call you."

She turned to go.

"Hinata?"

She turned, sighing. "Yes?"

Naruto swallowed hard. "You know I love you, right?"

Did he see the pain shoot across her face, or did he just imagine it? Her face was now a mask of amused tolerance. She shrugged again. "Of course I know that, Naruto. But you're not _in_ love with me, and I guess we both know that." Hinata sighed. "Maybe we just need a little breathing room. This is all getting too crazy. Steer clear of me for a while."

He watched as she walked slowly across the floor, smiling at various men as she made her way to the door. Every male gaze riveted to her. With her head held high and her hips swaying gently, Naruto could only think of two things.

She as so beautiful, his heart ached to look at her.

She was walking out of his life forever.

* * *

**Just to rearrange the chapters, dear readers, for optimum read :P**


	16. Chp 16: Epilogue

**Thanks to all who reviewed! I'll put up a special chapter with all of you mentioned (readers from the previous and the present chapters)! I just have to think of what to write for that 'special chapter'. **

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**Ho-hum! I've decided to end the story here. (Schools beginning soon and I won't have time to update as frequently, and I'd probably loose the plot if I put it aside for way too long.)**

* * *

**Epilogue: Too In Love With You, Therefore Another Bet**

"Where's Hinata?" Kiba looked around expectantly. "I thought she said she'd play today. It's the Gang Super Bowl."

"We're sort of… not talking right now." Naruto shrugged, trying to remain cool and ignore the pain the words brought. "But she's fine, don't worry about it."

"Who's worried?" Kiba frowned, then laughed as realization dawned on him. "Oh, I get it. You pissed her off again, didn't you? What'd you do this time?"

_I lost her. _"I didn't do anything."

Gaara gave him a quizzical look. "Maybe that's what pissed her off."

Naruto leveled a steely glare at his so-called brother. "Shut up and throw the damn ball, okay?"

The other guys playing immediately started to cat-calling and taunting him before settling down to play some serious football. Half an hour later, their jeers had been replaced with groans of pain.

"Dammit, Naruto," Kiba muttered, rubbing at his ribs. "This is touch football, man, not the NFL. Go easy, will you?"

Gaara grabbed Naruto roughly by his collar. "Time out!" he called to the others, dragging Naruto toward the crashing surf. When they were out of earshot, Gaara let him have it. "What is up with you, bro? You almost killed Kiba, but you haven't caught a single pass I've thrown to you. Where is your _head_?"

Naruto shook off Gaara's grip with a rough shrug. "I don't know."

"It's the girl, isn't it?" Gaara gave him a rough pat. "What's she into now?"

"It's not so much of what she's into. It's what I'm into. Or not into. What I… that is…" Naruto growled in frustration. "I slept with her."

Gaara simply looked at him, nodding. "Like that's somehow a shock."

Naruto blinked at him. Didn't he understand? "I said, I _slept_ with her."

"So? Hinata's beautiful," Gaara said, smiling wistfully. "I've entertained some daydreams myself. But she's, like your soul mate. I mean, the guys are close and all, but that woman knows your heart. So, you did something about it." Gaara shrugged. "So, what's the problem?"

Naruto stood, silent.

"I mean, you told her you loved her, right?"

Still nothing.

"You _do_ love her, right?" Gaara emphasized his words, as if talking to a child. "I'll kick your ass if you think you don't, because nobody disrespects our girl that way. Least of all an idiot who can't see the truth when it's staring him in the face."

"I don't know what I was thinking," Naruto rasped. "All I know is, I made that stupid bet, and suddenly nothing was the same. She was still Hinata, sure, but she was wearing those clothes, and we were spending all this time together, like we always do… and then something changed. I did everything I could think of to get us to be friends again," he argued, "but it just happened. I couldn't stop myself."

Gaara sighed. "I sense stupidity ahead. What did you do after that?"

"I stopped it before it got worse," Naruto said, closing his eyes. The incident still played through his head every night. "I thought maybe I could catch it in time, that I wouldn't screw up the friendship completely, but I was too late. Now she won't see me or talk to me. I don't know what to do." He opened his eyes, looking over at Gaara. "It was just what I thought it would happen. I don't know what I'm going to do without her."

"Naruto, I'm going to tell you this from the heart." Gaara put a heavy hand on his shoulder. "Bro, you're a schmuck."

Naruto blinked. "Sorry?"

"You heard me. You're in love, man."

Naruto thought about it for a minute. "I don't believe this," he said slowly, even as the truth began to hit him. "Even if I am… that's not going to help me. I can't make a relationship work. I never have."

"Those other women you thought you were in love with. That was bull. You weren't in love with them. Heavily in lust, addicted to drama, but not in love with them. Heavily in lust, addicted to drama, but not in love."

"I tried to make them wok," Naruto said. "They all just fell apart, no matter what I did. That's when I made the rule – friends over commitments."

"And do you know why?" Gaara's aquamarine eyes bore into Naruto. "_Because you always had Hinata. _She was always the first person you called when one of the women you believe you were 'in love with' went haywire. If you had a problem, or good news, or if she needed you, then you two were together, no matter who you were dating. They had your body, but Hinata always had your heart."

Naruto stopped, started to speak, then stopped again.

"This time, you've got a shot at the whole thing – marriage, kids, the whole nine yards. And you're scared." Gaara shook his head. "Scared of all that, but even more, scared of screwing up the most important thing in your life and losing her. So what did you do?"

Naruto sighed. "I screwed up and lost her."

"Bingo. So what do you think all this means?"

Naruto stood for a minute, staring at the waves. He never wanted to see Hinata with another man. He couldn't stand all the time he'd spend without her. He needed her smile, her laughter, and most of all, her love.

"It means I'm in love with Hinata, and I'm going to do something about it."

"All this time together, and you're just figuring it out." Gaara sighed. "It's things like this that convinced women we're idiots, man."

Suddenly, Iruka came running down the beach, crowing and waving a newspaper.

"Iruka, don't you wear a watch?" Kiba yelled as Iruka approached the group. "You're two hours late!"

"You've gotta see this," Iruka answered, puffing from his run. The guys crowded around him, and he pushed a tabloid into Naruto's hands.

"What the…" Naruto's gaze fell on a full-colour picture of Hinata and Sasuke in a tabloid. The lurid headline jumped out at him: _**Lady in Red to Wed Uchiha Sasuke?**_

"Isn't it a scream?" Iruka's face broke into a wide, foolish grin. "Our honorary girl, getting married to the Most Eligible Bachelor in America?"

Naruto watched, detached, as his fingers twisted the paper, practically ripping it in two. He barely heard Iruka's yelp of protest.

"You've got to go, Naruto." Naruto looked up, and Gaara's face was solemn. "It's not too late."

Naruto made a break for his car, praying Gaara was right.

* * *

Hinata was eating lunch outside at Martha's Café with Neji, Kankuro and Temari. She wasn't looking forward to her conversation with them, but it had to be done. They would notice when she suddenly, after a few weeks of mad socializing, stopped dating anyone at all and disappeared from the scene. 

What she really wasn't looking forward to was explaining _why._

"So, I finally told him, I don't care whose wedding your' working on, you promised me two hundred orchids for tonight's banquet and I don't want to hear another word about it." Neji nodded sharply, and Kankuro glanced over at Hinata. Temari winked at her and laughed. "Now, if it were Uchiha Sasuke's wedding, that would be something else…"

Before Hinata could question that, Temari send her a piercing, inquisitive look. "Speaking of, is there anything you'd like to tell us?"

"Well, yes…" Hinata said, then frowned as the tone of her question sunk in. "Wait a minute. What are _you_ talking about?"

"Hinata, it's been in all the tabloids," Kankuro said, deliberately slow with a widening grin.

"There's a picture of you in that red dress, and there are all these rumours that you're going to get married!" Temari said in a rush.

"We wanted to wait until you told us," Neji said with a brilliant smile. "But you were taking so long, we couldn't hold out! So what happened? How did he propose to you?"

"And when's the wedding?" Kankuro asked, jumping in.

"I'm so excited, I could pop! Imagine, just like you thought, a proposal under a month!" Temari exclaimed giddily.

"Now, hold I just a second," Hinata said firmly. "Sasuke did propose, but I need to explain few things…"

"Hinata."

She stopped, mid-sentence. Taking a deep breath, she turned. "Hello, Naruto," she said quietly. Her fingers tensed on her glass of lemonade.

"Ooh, Naruto, have you heard?" Neji's voice was bright and, to his credit, only a little smug. "He proposed! Sasuke proposed to her!"

"So the papers claim. I thought I'd find out for myself what the story was." His voice was low and dangerously husky. "It took me a while to track you down, but I need to talk to you, Hinata."

H looked like hell, Hinata thought, her heart aching. He had a rough day's growth of beard, and his hair was windblown and careless. It would have made him look more rugged, like Indiana Jones, if it weren't for the shadows in his eyes. He looked like a man fighting demons.

Every fiber in her being wanted to stand up and throw herself into his arms. But she just sat there. "Couldn't believe it, huh?"

"I didn't want to, but yes, I believed it." His eyes gleamed silver and lightning. "I just wanted to hear the truth from you."

Hinata struggled to keep her voice calm. "If you must know, yes, Sasuke did propose to me."

"I see," he said, his voice low.

Hinata barely noticed the excited sounds from Neji and Temari. Kankuro was sitting back on his chair, looking at them attentively. The world had somehow narrowed down to encompass just herself and Naruto.

With a slow, deliberate motion, Naruto reached into his leather jacket pocket and pulled out his checkbook. "I guess you win, sunny. As it happens, I have the check right here."

Neji and Temari high-fived. Kankuro managed a teeny smile, but didn't join in.

Hinata's heart broke, splintering like glass. She showed no outward signs. Her face remained impassive and her eyes were glued to the check on his outstretched hand.

"It's yours," Naruto said, "Just come here and get it."

Like a marionette, Hinata got up and walked to where he was standing. On the front check, in his bold handwriting, was the amount: one thousand dollars. And written in a scrawl on the memo line was a small sentence.

" 'Congratulations to the winner'?" she read aloud.

He nodded.

She would rip it up and throw it in his face, Hinata thought. Then, she'd leave and never see him again.

She reached for the check.

With a quick motion, he grabbed her wrist, pulling her to him, moulding her to him. She looked into his tortured eyes just before his mouth dipped down to hers and she felt the inferno that built whenever they kissed.

"Double or nothing," he whispered against her lips. "I bet you that I can make you happier in the next fifty tears than that guy could have ever made you, I swear."

Hinata felt a wild surge of happiness but pulled back a little, tugging against the hands that caressed her back and looped her in his embrace. "Naruto…"

"Yes?" His voice was tender yet rough.

"Are you saying this because you love me," she asked carefully, " or are you just a sore loser?"

His eyes widened in shock, just before a chuckle emerged, growing into the rich laughter that she loved so much. "Okay, I deserved that one. But let me explain." He pulled back enough to look into her eyes, his blue gaze warm, level and sincere.

"I didn't know this was what being in love was. I always thought that love was this big production, with all the drama and screaming, and everything that went with it. But then I figured out that I was just scared. Scared of screwing up and losing the most important woman in my life. So what did I do? I went ahead and did just what I was most scared of."

"You know, this is why women think me are idiots," Hinata teased.

"What? Am I wearing a sign?" Naruto laughed softly, nuzzling her neck, then turned serious. "Even when I thought I was in love, I never shared myself with those women the way I did with you. Nobody knows me like you do." He stroked her cheek, his smile like the sun. "And nobody matches me as perfectly as you do. I love you, and I'm in love with you. Say you'll marry me, Hinata."

"I told Sasuke I was too in love with you to marry anybody else. There wouldn't be anybody else I'd marry," she said vehemently. She leaned forward and shared a passionate kiss with him, relishing the feeling of his arms tight around her, as if he'd never let go again.

"Um, excuse me?"

Naruto and Hinata turned and looked over at the lunch tables. Women all over the café were misty-eyed, and several were sighing deeply. Neji looked as if she were in shock; Kankuro was grinning broadly. Temari, on the other hand, simply looked flabbergasted.

"Would somebody like to explain what's going on here?" she asked.

* * *

**I might add some Kiba x Hanabi x Gaara action or a wedding sequel here or maybe some Itachi x Kurenai x Kakashi... so many choices! I'd also liked to finish my SasuHina story ****Seasons of the Witch****. Oh my god! I can't even remember the title correctly. O.o Whichever way it is, thanks to all for reading and reviewing. Although it is the Epilogue, who says I'll end it there:P . **

**Writing a sequel titled: 'Cinderella Fairytale Rundown'. Penchant for long, strange combination of words for titles :P**


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